J.J. McCarthy and Jim Harbaugh keep Michigan football fans in suspense at celebration

He was hailed as a victor, cheered like a conquering hero. Jim Harbaugh stood on the makeshift stage inside a packed Crisler Center and absorbed the deafening applause.

“10 more years!” the crowd yelled. “10 more years!”

Behind Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy wore a big smile and joined in the chants calling for his coach to remain in his post. Only minutes before, the star quarterback had heard similar pleas from the audience begging him to come back for his senior season. What began as a celebration of the Wolverines’ national championship transformed into a rally in which fans appealed to Michigan football's two most prominent figures, beseeching them to stay put in Ann Arbor.

But after the last roars echoed and the final ovation thundered, the throng of maize-and-blue-clad spectators filed out the exits uncertain if their pleas were heard. Harbaugh didn’t tip his hand about his future, and neither did McCarthy.

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As the quarterback left the makeshift stage with a pack of fans mobbing him, he told a reporter he would reveal his decision Sunday. Wearing a look of skepticism as he departed, receiver Cornelius Johnson wondered if McCarthy has already made his choice.

“I mean if he was coming back, I think he would’ve said it just now, right?” Johnson said.

It was a valid point, considering the Monday deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft was fast approaching. But it is worth remembering McCarthy is a disciple of Harbaugh, a man who loves to keep everyone guessing about his next move until the last moment.

During each of the past two offseasons, Harbaugh left Michigan fans in suspense while exploring a potential return to the NFL. He flew to interview with the Minnesota Vikings in February 2022. January 2023 brought talks with the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.

The flirtations caused a commotion, and yet Harbaugh ultimately stayed with Michigan. It proved a wise career choice. Harbaugh continued to build the Wolverines into one of the nation’s best college programs, setting the stage for the 2023 run in which when they sidestepped controversy to go 15-0 and win the national title with a 34-13 conquest of Washington on Monday.

“Glorious feeling,” Harbaugh said in the aftermath of his crowning achievement.

Upon returning to Ann Arbor, he received a hero’s welcome. People weathered blustery and frigid conditions Saturday just to catch a glimpse of Harbaugh and his team as they rolled down State Street in a victory parade Saturday. In the procession of vehicles was a pickup truck carrying Warde Manuel. Bystanders yelled out to the Michigan athletic director as he waved to them.

“Sign Harbaugh!” they screamed.

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After day turned to night., Manuel told the Crisler Center crowd he was doing his best to make it happen.

“I am working on getting this man a new contract!” he shouted. “I promise you!”

There was loud applause, and in the background, Harbaugh arched his hands into a steeple before mouthing, “Thank you.”

Harbaugh relished the show of support. He has long said that it is important to feel wanted and appreciated by both the people who cut his checks and those who pay to see his teams.

But is the gratitude of the Michigan community, conveyed in the form of a new deal that would reportedly make him the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten, enough to keep him in Ann Arbor for the long term?

The answer remains unknown; Harbaugh has spent the past 17 days parrying questions about his plans.

“Does it always have to be, 'What's next?' ” Harbaugh moaned Monday.

As he had come to realize, the intrigue surrounding his future was unavoidable. It even threatened to overshadow Team 144's one shining moment Saturday. Hours before he and the players were feted, NFL Network reported all signs pointed to Harbaugh interviewing with the Los Angeles Chargers next week. Yet the omininous news didn't detract from a celebration where a bare-chested Trevor Keegan soaked in the adulation, star running back Blake Corum sported a sweatshirt that read, “Business is FINISHED,” and Harbaugh honored his team by quoting Shakespeare.

“The entire day has been incredible,” he told the audience before he launched into his soliloquy.

But it ended without the resolution fans so desperately wanted. There is still no certainty about whether Harbaugh and McCarthy will stay or go, which seems fitting in many ways. After all, the coach and quarterback have become inextricably linked, to the point Harbaugh once likened McCarthy to a son. The charismatic Wolverines have been at the forefront of Michigan’s rise from its 2-4 depression of 2020 to the summit of college football three years later.

Along the way, Harbaugh called McCarthy the greatest quarterback in program history and praised him extensively.

“I can’t lie and say I don’t think he’s NFL-ready,” he volunteered in December.

The comment fed suspicions that Harbaugh and McCarthy could leave Michigan in lockstep to chase their pro dreams.

But on a cold January day in Ann Arbor, fans begged them to stick around so the good times could last a little longer.

Some even scribbled a message on a bedsheet they hung from an apartment balcony along the parade route: “Harbaugh McCarthy 2024. Run it Back.”

Whether that happens remains to be seen, as no promises were made Saturday by the two men at the top of Michigan football's ticket.

Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football party a rally for Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy return