It looks like Michigan might be rethinking its long-term commitment to Jim Harbaugh amid the sign-stealing investigation into the program.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Wolverines have rescinded a contract extension they had offered to head coach Jim Harbaugh as the NCAA investigates whether Michigan sent out spies to scout opponents in person and filming opponents’ signals.
It had been rumored in the weeks leading up to the Week 9 bye week that Jim Harbaugh would formally accept and sign his long-awaited contract extension, but this new report pours cold water on that ever happening now as the program awaits the investigation to be concluded.
Via the report:
“The University of Michigan has rescinded a new contract offer for head football coach Jim Harbaugh in the wake of a sign-stealing scandal that has rocked one of the favorites to play for college football’s national championship, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The move is the first sign that the school may be hesitant about its future relationship with the famed coach who revived its football program and is frequently cited as a candidate for jobs in the National Football League. Harbaugh’s pay had been cut during the pandemic, but he was given a new contract just last year after bringing the team back to national prominence.
The Wolverines’ title chase this year put him in line for another raise. Michigan recently had made an offer that would have made Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten, before the school pulled it once the sign-stealing allegations rocked the school, the person said.
More stories about the alleged scheme have been reported, including the naming of staffer Connor Stalions as the person responsible for the sign-stealing scandal as well as proof of him buying tickets to other schools’ games to record video of opponents’ sidelines that violate NCAA rules.
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Harbaugh agreed to a five-year, $36.7 million contract in 2022 after a turnaround 2021 campaign resulted in a 12–2 record. Last season, the Wolverines compiled a 13–1 record.
Harbaugh flirted with the idea of heading back to the NFL, but that was mostly a negotiating tactic to get the program to pay up.
It was just this month when he was asked whether a new contract was coming, to which he responded, “Like anybody, you want to be somewhere where you’re wanted. If they like what you do and how you do it, your bosses tell you that, and then that gets reflected in a contract.”
Asked if he felt wanted at Michigan, Harbaugh said, “Yeah, I do.”
Harbaugh added that working out the contract extension has been “a 3 1/2-year thing.” Now it appears that the wait will be longer if it happens at all depending on the results of the NCAA probe that has become the biggest story in college football.
