According to multiple reports, Michigan is working on a lucrative contract extension to keep Jim Harbaugh as the Wolverines’ coach through the 2028 season. The potential five-year, $55 million contract, first reported by Richard Johnson, would make Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten and the second-highest-paid coach in college football, trailing only Alabama’s Nick Saban.
According to Yahoo Sports, neither the contract nor Harbaugh’s tenure at Michigan have been finalized. He is still under contract with the Wolverines.
This agreement comes as Harbaugh prepares to lead Michigan into its third consecutive College Football Playoff, with the Wolverines attempting to win their first national championship since 1997. Harbaugh was suspended six games this season, three by the university as a precaution against potential future NCAA penalties and three by the Big Ten as part of an NCAA investigation into sign stealing, despite Michigan’s full support throughout both controversies.
Harbaugh has reportedly considered a move to the NFL in each of the last two offseasons, and reports have surfaced that some teams, including the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers, are at least considering Harbaugh as a coaching candidate. From 1998 to 1993, Harbaugh started 63 games at quarterback for the Bears, who are now coached by Matt Eberflus.
Under Harbaugh, the Wolverines have won three consecutive Big Ten titles as well as three consecutive games over rival Ohio State (though acting Sherrone Moore led that OSU victory this season). During his tenure in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Harbaugh is 82-25 (60-17 Big Ten), with an unblemished 13-0 record in 2023.
The school suspended Harbaugh for the first three games of the 2023 season after he was accused of providing misleading statements to investigators during an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting and coaching infractions. He was also suspended for the final three regular-season games while the NCAA investigated an elaborate sign-stealing operation run by a Michigan staffer. Both investigations are still open.
Harbaugh has a 142-52 overall record as a college coach, having previously worked at San Diego (2004-06) and Stanford (2007-10) before coming to Michigan in 2015. From 2011 to 2014, he was the head coach of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. He made the playoffs three times with the Niners and lost to the Baltimore Ravens, led by brother John Harbaugh, in Super Bowl XLVII.
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