DiNardo said he doubted Harbaugh would have taken the job if he weren’t promised to have full autonomy in running the program. Now in the Big Ten you’ve got an Urban Meyer, a Jim Harbaugh, a Mark Dantonio.”Įarly reports had Michigan offering Harbaugh $49 million for six years. When you look at the SEC, there’s Nick Saban, there was Urban Meyer, Steve Spurrier, Mark Richt, Les Miles. “I’ve always felt the real evaluation of a conference is strength of coaches. “I think it gives the Big Ten great credibility,” said Lou Holtz, the former coach and ESPN analyst. Harbaugh, the starting quarterback for three seasons in the mid-1980s under Schembechler, is now being looked to as the coach who can finally return Michigan to prominence. The 49ers hired Harbaugh four days after the bowl, and he went 44-19-1 with two NFC West titles in four seasons. They won the Orange Bowl with quarterback Andrew Luck his final season. Stanford was 5-7 the following season, then improved to 8-5 and earned a Sun Bowl berth in 2009 - the school’s first bowl appearance since 2001. 1 Southern California, a game in which the Cardinal was a 41-point underdog. Harbaugh’s first Stanford team went 4-8 in a season highlighted by a 24-23 win over No. He took over a 1-11 team when he was hired in December 2006 and quickly turned the program back into a winner and bowl contender. Harbaugh went 58-27 overall as a college coach at San Diego and Stanford, including a 29-21 record in four seasons with the Cardinal. The Wolverines were 31-20 in Hoke’s four seasons and declined steadily after an 11-2 mark in his first year. Under Brady Hoke, Michigan dipped to 5-7 this season and was among only four Big Teams to not earn a bowl bid. Penn State’s James Franklin is a celebrated recruiter who looks to have the Nittany Lions on the rise. Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio has built a program that has staying power. Meyer is preparing the Buckeyes for this week’s semifinal against Alabama in the inaugural College Football Playoff. Still, Michigan’s new coach has his work cut out for him in a Big Ten East Division that’s only getting tougher. “This gives Michigan a chance to catch up,” DiNardo said. I think he’s going to do a great job and help out recruiting.”īig Ten Network analyst and former college coach Gerry DiNardo said Michigan, the only school with more than 900 all-time wins, would be bringing in a “rock star” capable of returning the Wolverines to elite status. “He’s basically Michigan royalty right now,” said former Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson, now a Jacksonville Jaguars running back. Urban Meyer harkens to the league’s glory days, when Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes ruled the conference. The idea of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry spiced up with Harbaugh vs. After the 49ers slipped to 8-8 this season and missed the playoffs, he parted ways with the team Sunday in what both sides called a mutual decision.Ī day later, his name was the buzz of the Big Ten. Harbaugh, 51, coached the 49ers to three consecutive NFC championship games and they lost the 2013 Super Bowl to a Baltimore Ravens team coached by his brother, John. “I think we’ll have some comments tomorrow,” Harbaugh told The Michigan Daily, the student newspaper in Ann Arbor. But not long after Harbaugh arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Monday night, Michigan scheduled a Tuesday news conference for a “major” football announcement. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no formal announcement from the school or Harbaugh, who did not return calls or text messages. Former San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh has signed a deal to become the new coach at Michigan, a person with knowledge of the discussions told the Associated Press on Monday.
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