3 Coaches That Could Replace Jim Harbaugh At Michigan Amid Scandal
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines is seen on the sideline during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Earlier Friday morning, ESPN's Paul Finebaum predicted Jim Harbaugh would leave college football for the NFL after the 2023 season.
"I think he's going to leave college football and go back to the NFL," Finebaum said. "I think he's had enough of what this sport is really all about... If he gets the offer he wants he is going to depart college football."
It's not the first time a reporter has suggested that Harbaugh will leave the college football game for the NFL. We've been doing this song and dance for years - literally.
But what if he DOES decide to leave?
Let's take a look at three potential candidates to replace the Wolverines superstar head coach if he decides to take off for the big leagues.
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 28: Head coach Mike Elko of the Duke Blue Devils leads his team onto the field before the game against the UCF Knights in the Military Bowl Presented by Peraton at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on December 28, 2022 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
1) Mike Elko:
Elko has emerged as one of the top coaching candidates in the country after his immediate success at Duke. The longtime defensive coordinator took over a lowly Blue Devils program and not only made the team bowl eligible, but won nine games in his first season.
Through the first six games of the 2023 season, the Blue Devils sit at 5-1 on the season and at No. 16 in the country.
Elko has shown what he can do at a program that can't recruit with the elites of the ACC. Imagine what he could do at Michigan.
LAWRENCE, KS - SEPTEMBER 24: Head coach Lance Leipold of the Kansas Jayhawks leads the team onto the field before a game against the Duke Blue Devils at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on September 24, 2022 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)
2) Lance Leipold
Three years ago no one took the Kansas Jayhawks football program seriously. That's changed under head coach Lance Leipold, who started his Jayhawks tenure with a 2-10 season.
His second season in Kansas saw the team have a four-win improvement and make a bowl game. Now in 2023 the team sits at 5-2 on the season and is primed to make a legitimate bowl game.
Leipold brought life to a stifled program and could be moving on to bigger and better things in the near future.
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 09: Acting Head Coach Mike Hart of the Michigan Wolverines signals a call to his team during the second half of a college football game against the UNLV Rebels at Michigan Stadium on September 09, 2023 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Michigan Wolverines won the game 35-7 (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images).
3) Mike Hart
The biggest knock on Hart would be that he doesn't have head coaching experience. However, he did become the first Black head coach in Michigan Wolverines history to win a game this season while filling in for a suspended Jim Harbaugh.
“It’s a great honor,” Hart said after the game. “I had a chance to play for Tony Dungy. I had a chance to play for Jim Caldwell. My first coaching job was with Ron English at Eastern Michigan. We have an athletic director in Warde Manual who’s African American. (We’ve) had a close relationship since he’s been here. So I’ve just had a lot of great coaches who are African Americans I’ve had the chance to look up to and just really let me know that it can happen. It’s a possibility.”
Hart is in charge of one of the most effective running games in college football and has coached in the college game for over a decade.
If Harbaugh were to leave, a true Michigan Man might be the logical replacement. No one fits that bill better than Hart.
