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Report: Michigan officials in California to meet with Harbaugh
By Ethan Levine
Published:
UPDATE: Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports is reporting on Twitter, citing sources, that Jim Harbaugh will indeed be the next coach of the Michigan Wolverines following the 49ers season finale Sunday.
Jim Harbaugh's family is flying to Ann Arbor Monday, source tells @FoxSports. Harbaugh will be #Wolverines new head coach.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 28, 2014
The storyline that has dominated the national coaching carousel in recent weeks could be on the brink of a resolution.
According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, citing league sources, officials from the University of Michigan are in California on Sunday to meet with San Francisco 49ers head coach “as soon as possible” regarding UM’s current head coaching vacancy.
The 49ers will close the book on their 2014 season at home Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
This is Harbaugh’s fourth season in San Francisco, and not only will it be the first time in his 49ers tenure that his team fails to reach the postseason, but the first time his team fails to get to the NFC championship game.
He has one year remaining on a five-year, $25 million deal in San Francisco, and Michigan has reportedly offered Harbaugh a six-year deal worth $48 million.
Harbaugh has also drawn interest from other NFL franchises, including the Oakland Raiders and the Chicago Bears.
Although no moves have been made, it is widely accepted that no matter where Harbaugh lands next season it will not be back in San Francisco. According to Schefter’s report, Harbaugh met with his team Saturday night and expressed his appreciation for their support throughout the last four seasons. However, he never explicitly told his team he would not be returning next season.
Still, many of his players took the hint, including offensive tackle Anthony Davis.
https://twitter.com/AnthonyDavis76/status/549077029237190656
Harbaugh is 48-22-1 in 71 games as coach of the 49ers, including the postseason. Prior to working in San Francisco he emerged as one of the premier head coaches at the college level, posting a record of 29-21 in four seasons as coach of the Stanford Cardinal.
In 2010, his final season at Stanford, the Cardinals amassed a 12-1 record, an Orange Bowl victory and the No. 4 ranking in the final Associated Press poll.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
