The past two off seasons Michigan fans have had to sweat out whether Jim Harbaugh would return or head back to the NFL when he flirted with openings with the Vikings and Broncos.
This off season is starting to feel much the same.
As the Wolverines have put together an undefeated season and #1 ranking in the College Football Playoff, even as Harbaugh missed a total of six games due to suspensions, athletic director Warde Manuel and Michigan prepared a lucrative extension aimed at keeping Harbaugh in Ann Arbor.
Harbaugh's current deal runs through 2026, and Ian Rapoport shared over the holiday weekend that Michigan's latest offer is a 10-year extension worth $125 million that would make him one of the highest paid coaches in college football.
The deal, which is still waiting on Harbaugh's signature as the Wolverines prepare to take on Alabama in the Rose Bowl January 1st, stipulates that Harbaugh would not entertain or accept an NFL job for the 2024 season, Rapoport shares.
The NFL clause is only specific to one season, but the extension still has no signature from Harbaugh as NFL jobs with the Panthers and Raiders are currently open, with at least a handful more set to open at the conclusion of the NFL season.
Rapoport shares that Harbaugh also has a "far shorter deal" worth about $11 million per season.
Michigan recently received their Notice of Allegations from the NCAA for recruiting violations that took place during the COVID dead period and Harbaugh faces Level 1 violations for "providing false or misleading information."
It will be very interesting to see if that, along with the illegal scouting debacle that saw Harbaugh sit the final three games of the regular season, will have an impact on where he coaches in 2024 and beyond.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.