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Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh wants Brady Hoke to keep his job at Michigan

Graham Watson
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh wants Brady Hoke to keep his job at Michigan

Michigan coach Brady Hoke hasn’t officially been fired yet, but that hasn’t stopped rumors from swirling about his replacement.

According to an NFL Network report on Sunday, the Wolverines are interested in pursuing Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, not his brother, San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, who has been linked with the Michigan job before.

However, the Baltimore Sun cited a source close to Harbaugh saying that Harbaugh would have no interest in the job because of his relationship with Hoke.

While Michigan may be interested in him, John Harbaugh isn't expected to pursue a job currently held by his friend, Hoke, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

The source said there are multiple reasons why John Harbaugh wouldn't be inclined to go after the job beyond his friendship and loyalty to Hoke. A big reason is that Harbaugh is content as coach of the Ravens (3-1), with whom he won Super Bowl XLVII just two seasons ago over Jim Harbaugh's 49ers.

Harbaugh more or less echoed that sentiment during his press conference Monday when he didn’t deny interest in the job, but said he’s rather see his friend Hoke keep it.

Harbaugh was signed to a four-year contract extension at the end of last season that averages $6.5 million per year and has him under contract until 2017.

While John Harbaugh might be content with his NFL team, Jim Harbaugh is looking for an easy exit. Jim Harbaugh has come under fire in San Francisco and likely won’t be long for his job unless the 49ers make significant improvements from here on out.

Even though the 49ers defeated Philadelphia on Sunday, they are still 2-2 and have a lot of issues both offensively and defensively. This is a team that was supposed to challenge for the NFC’s spot in the Super Bowl and with each week it’s looking less and less likely that will happen.

Also, Jim Harbaugh is a Michigan man something the Wolverines like in their coaches. He played quarterback for the Wolverines and was courted for the head coaching job when Michigan decided to go with Hoke. His father, Jack Harbaugh, was an assistant under legendary former coach Bo Schembechler.

Hoke is 28-16 in his four seasons with Michigan, including a 2-3 record so far this season.

For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

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