While USC thinks about firing Alex Grinch, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh could leave for the NFL
The fact that USC is entering the Big Ten Conference in 2024 makes this next story a lot more important than it would have been in a world in which USC stayed in the Pac-12: Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is certainly thinking about going to the NFL.
It doesn’t mean Harbaugh is definitely gone. It doesn’t even mean he is likely to leave. It merely means Harbaugh is thinking about the pros, one year after a serious courtship with the Minnesota Vikings fell apart.
USC has to deal with a lot of big questions after its Cotton Bowl implosion against Tulane, and one part of the larger calculus for the Trojans has to include the possibility that Harbaugh will leave Michigan. The Wolverines will be a USC opponent very soon. They might not play USC in the 2024 Big Ten regular season schedule, but they will be a competitor for the Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff berth.
USC has to position itself to be the best team in the Big Ten. The Trojans have to think about how they stack up against the best programs in the Big Ten. Right now, the best program in the Big Ten is Michigan, winner of back-to-back Big Ten championships.
Let’s dive into this conversation with help from our friends at Wolverines Wire:
REPORTS
Jim Harbaugh to the Broncos?
Sources close to the situation tell me, @BruceFeldmanCFB and @byAustinMeek that they believe if he gets an NFL offer, he's taking it: https://t.co/wq5LiFCMgd
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) January 2, 2023
FROM WOLVERINES WIRE
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines during action against the TCU Horned Frogs second half action of the Fiesta Bowl Saturday, December 31, 2022.
Syndication Detroit Free Press
“There have been multiple reports stating the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts are both interested in Michigan’s head coach,” Wolverines Wire wrote. “The Broncos just fired Nathaniel Hackett who lasted less than a season in Denver and the Colts will be looking for someone to replace interim coach, Jeff Saturday.”
HOWEVER, THERE IS ALSO THIS
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines during action against the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 at Michigan Stadium.
Wolverines Wire also noted, however, that “going back to early December, Jim Harbaugh shot down NFL interest. He said he and his staff would be back in Ann Arbor in 2023.”
HARBAUGH HIMSELF
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) walks off the field after the Wolverines lost 51-45 to TCU at the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.
Syndication Detroit Free Press
“Well, it’s a lot of that time of the year type of speculation but I think no man knows the future,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve done a good job and people are pleased with the job that we’ve done here at Michigan. They’re gonna be very happy to learn that we’ll be back enthusiastically coaching the Wolverines in 2023. And for those people that don’t approve of the job we’ve done or would rather see somebody else coaching here, I think they’ll be most likely disappointed to learn and we’ll be back coaching the Wolverines in 2023.”
IF HARBAUGH LEAVES MICHIGAN
Nov 6, 2021; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell looks on during the first quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Campbell would likely become a candidate at Michigan if Harbaugh leaves. Keep in mind that Campbell played Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma very competitively in the Big 12 Conference, and that Campbell’s defensive coordinator, Jon Heacock, has had success defending Riley’s offenses. We have covered this subject at Trojans Wire.
DAVE ARANDA
Nov 6, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda calls a timeout during the second quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Dave Aranda would likely be a candidate at Michigan, given his previous experience as a defensive coordinator at Wisconsin. Aranda defeated Riley at Oklahoma in the 2021 season when Baylor beat the Sooners.
LANE KIFFIN
Oct 23, 2021; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin before the game against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Lane Kiffin’s name is bound to emerge as a possibility for Michigan, though how central his name will be in any potential discussion is up for debate.
Imagine Kiffin coaching against Riley and USC in the Big Ten. That would be remarkable, to say the least.
WILLIE FRITZ
Jan 2, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Tulane Green Wave running back Tyjae Spears (22) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the USC Trojans in the 2023 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Fritz wouldn’t be the No. 1 candidate, but he can’t be ruled out. He is in his early 60s and would have a decade to coach at Michigan if he wanted. Few coaches have increased their stock value more this season.
THE OHIO STATE ANGLE
Dec 31, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs players celebrate as Ohio State Buckeyes place kicker Noah Ruggles (95) misses a 50 yard field goal in the final seconds of the second half of the Peach Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State has lost to Michigan two straight years, which has put obvious heat on coach Ryan Day.
RYAN DAY
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day speaks to media following a spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletics Center in Columbus on March 22, 2022.
The industry scuttlebutt has been that Ryan Day might want an NFL job before too long. Would Harbaugh leaving Michigan give Day second thoughts about an NFL exit from Ohio State? That’s a huge question if Harbaugh does go to the NFL himself.
NOT IMPOSSIBLE
Ohio State Buckeyes offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere (78) tries to block Michigan Wolverines defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) during the third quarter in an NCAA college football game at Michigan Stadium at Ann Arbor, Mi on November 27, 2021.
It’s not likely, but also not impossible: USC could enter the Big Ten in 2024 with neither Jim Harbaugh nor Ryan Day coaching at Michigan and Ohio State, respectively.
RECRUITS AND TRANSFERS
Nov 26, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) makes the catch as Michigan Wolverines defensive back Mike Sainristil (0) defends during the second quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
We could be on the verge of a situation in which:
A lot of recruits think about decommitting from Michigan if Harbaugh leaves for the NFL.
A lot of transfers wait to make decisions based on who Michigan hires as its new head coach if Harbaugh leaves.
USC VS MICHIGAN
USC quarterback Rodney Peete runs the ball into the end zone for his first touchdown in the second quarter of the Rose Bowl game with Michigan in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 1, 1989. In pursuit are Michigan’s Tripp Welborne (3) and David Arnold (15). Peete scored twice in the second quarter. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
USC would need to think about how its moves would affect the transfer portal and recruiting trail calculus, relative to Michigan, if Harbaugh leaves.
Even if Harbaugh doesn’t leave, USC needs to think about how its alignment positions the Trojans to compete in the Big Ten. That’s now just one season away. This upcoming 2023 season will be USC’s last in the Pac-12. Decisions should already own a Big Ten focus.
ALEX GRINCH
Nov 11, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Colorado Buffaloes during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
If we get to a point where recruits and transfers are considering USC and Michigan as their two main schools, or two of their final five destinations, the Trojans need to do research and see if Alex Grinch is causing prospects to turn away from USC. If that’s the case, that should definitely affect how they move forward.
