Report: Jim Harbaugh Tells Michigan He Isn’t Candidate for Job
By Chase Ruttig
Jim Harbaugh has found himself in the news more for his potential to leave to a new job more than for his coaching exploits with his current team recently as there are more and more rumblings each day that Harbaugh will be out of the door in San Francisco this offseason and headed to a new head coaching gig, likely in the NFL. With the Niners losing to the Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving at home and the Raiders, who are in the mix of reported teams that could likely land Harbaugh, playing Harbaugh’s 49ers on Sunday at the Coliseum the reports have been flying left and right surrounding the future of the successful head coach.
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Outside of the Bay Area the one other place that has been pumping out the Harbaugh reports has been Michigan as the struggling Big Ten program has been hoping their former quarterback would come back to turn the Wolverines around once the team fires Brady Hoke. That appears to be off the table as there are reports on Tuesday that the Wolverines are struggling to find a candidate for their coaching job, with Harbaugh telling his former school that he is not interested.
Via @FootballScoop "Multiple sources I spoke with told me Jim Harbaugh has already told Michigan that he is not a candidate."
— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) December 2, 2014
From FootballScoop’s Scott Roussel
"Amid reports that today could be Brady Hoke’s final day as head coach at Michigan, I reached out this morning to a number of connections in the coaching profession – both NFL and college. The feedback I heard isn’t going to excite many at Michigan; in fact, one source was very blunt, saying “Michigan is struggling to find their next head coach.”Michigan athletic director Jim Hackett and senior assistant athletic director Mike DeBord have spoken with a number of potential candidates is the what I’m told; and the reception thus far hasn’t been positive. We are told that the Michigan administration was hoping to have largely have their man identified by now and that does not appear to be the case as calls were ongoing yesterday.Multiple sources I spoke with told me Jim Harbaugh has already told Michigan that he is not a candidate."
It is still early in the process when it comes to Harbaugh, after all he is still employed by his current team so he isn’t exactly on the open market, but with Adam Schefter reporting yesterday that it is unlikely Harbaugh returns to the NCAA and Michigan in addition to this recent report it seems like the Niners head coach is going to be staying in the NFL. Whether that next job is Oakland is for the future to decide in the coming months, but for now owner Mark Davis has to like his chances as it continues to appear that the Raiders are going to be amongst the favorites in the Harbaugh sweepstakes should the Niners move on from their head coach after the 2014 season.