ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Michigan football fan base has been at something of a fever pitch the past several months as the drama perpetuated, once again, of Jim Harbaugh flirting with the NFL.
The fan base, certainly egged on by some insiders who do have their finger on the pulse of what’s happening behind the scenes, put all of the blame on Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel for there being any consideration for Harbaugh to potentially depart the program, especially given the pay cut the Wolverines head coach took following the 2020 season. Last offseason played out similar to this one, with Harbaugh interviewing with NFL teams before returning to Ann Arbor, but there seemed to be little danger this year of his departure compared to last year, when it appeared he would be offered and accept the Minnesota Vikings job. Add in that Michigan appears to be quite behind most other big-name schools when it comes to name, image, and likeness via recruiting, and Manuel has become and easy target for those who bleed maize and blue.
However, on Thursday, Harbaugh refuted that there was a bristly relationship with his former teammate, noting that he feels like he and Manuel get along just fine and that they’re on the same page.
“I feel like it’s great! It’s a great relationship,” Harbaugh said. “It’s one of those narratives that seemed to be out there but I have a great relationship with Warde Manuel. He’s been great for our athletic department and our university. Nothing but good. I trust Warde, he trusts me. I mean, as far as any kind of contract situation, we don’t talk about that. I just ask, ‘Hey, do you want me here at Michigan?’ after every season.”
One of the narratives that had surfaced over the offseason was that Harbaugh and Manuel had reportedly not spoken since last spring, though it was later clarified that that was only true in official capacity, as in about contract matters and such. We witnessed Harbaugh and Manuel speaking before and after games multiple times throughout the 2022 season, so assuredly the initial report wasn’t the case.
As far as speaking in official capacity and in terms of contract extensions — Harbaugh was announced to be remaining at Michigan by new president Santa Ono, and not Manuel — Harbaugh says that it’s all par for the course. He says he surveys the administration, others in the program, and even the fan base, to determine whether or not he stays with the team.
And, he says, that’s not a new development, either.
“After every season, anywhere I’ve ever been that’s the conversation I want to have. ‘Do you still think I’m the best person to do this job?’ And then I want to know what the rest of the administration thinks. I want to know what the players want, to know what the other coaches think, I want to know what the fan base thinks. And so when that season’s over, I sit down to have that conversation with Warde and do the same with the players and assess where the fan base is. Have never been, in all the eight years I’ve been here, that’s the feedback I got. In the month of January was as good as it’s ever been for me. Players, coaches, from Warde, the administration, president and from the fan base — let’s go to 2023.”
As far as Harbaugh looking to stay or depart, especially given the two-year flirtation with the NFL and the statement of his retention only mentioning 2023 and not beyond, he reiterated what he said after the Vikings exploration: as long as Michigan will have him, this is where he will be.
“I’m here as long as Michigan wants me here. You would have had a story if I wasn’t, but I’m here. And this is where I’m going to be.”
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