Michigan agreed to an extension of the contract on Friday with Jim Harbaugh, keeping the head coach in charge of the Wolverines in what is supposedly a five-year deal for $ 20 million. A former Michigan star (1989-91) winner and Heisman Trophy winner (1991), ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard talked about the Wolverines’ play on Saturday.
“I said towards the end of the season that if they wanted to retain coach Harbaugh, the move would be to fire the defensive coordinator, Don Brown,” said Howard at ESPN SportsCenter, referring to a December 22 play that led to 65 – Brown will be hired on Wednesday as Arizona’s defensive coordinator. “Because the defense has progressively worsened, and I said on (ESPN’s College) GameDay that he is constantly trying to play a scheme that has no staff to do it.
“So when I saw the piece fall, which means Don Brown was fired, I knew there was a big chance that Jim Harbaugh would be kept in Michigan. And he was given a chance to weigh the decisions and see if there was an NFL interest.
“So they came back with, like you said, an incentive contract because Coach Harbaugh did not underperform the previous contract. So they gave him an incentive-based contract. Warde Manuel, the sports director, agreed with that. Coach Harbaugh agreed with him. And that’s where we are today. “
Harbaugh, 57, has 49-22 overall and 34-16 against the Big Ten since 2015. The Wolverines experienced a down year in the 2020 season, posting a 2-4 record while facing conference-only competitions. He posted 10 consecutive wins in his 2015, ’16 and ’18 campaigns, but never won a Big Ten East title to reach the Big Ten Championship Game. Manuel gave an explanation behind the athletics department’s thinking.
“I continue to believe that Jim is the right man to lead our program in pursuit of the Big Ten and (college football game championships”, Said Manuel. “Our program has not reached the level that everyone expected this year, but I know that these setbacks will keep coaches, players and the team moving forward. Jim is a hard worker and competitor. it will take to lead and put us back on the right path.
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“Jim loves the University of Michigan and this football program. He has been committed to this university, athletics department and football program since his days as a player and returned in 2015 as a head coach. He wants to do everything possible to build a championship football team while we train our student-athletes. We all need to do our part to continue to help in this quest, as we all need to go in the same direction to have a championship level program. “