[needle]

As a Michigan Man he went to Ann Arbor to deliver a real championship.   Anything less would have been a failure.   Now that he has done that, he can leave and always be hailed as the Michigan Man that delivered the coveted national championship.

Also, prior to the 2023 season, he had yet to experience suspensions for 6 games.

Maybe he stays, maybe he doesn't, but I think those most fond of the EUTM era tend to forget that Harbaugh was looking for that next step the entire time.  Even winning a title with a loaded Michigan program is not enough to stop NFL rumors AND FWIW not enough for JH to tell media types during interviews that he will stay at Michigan next year.

While I think this point of view has a lot of merit, I also believe that Harbaugh, like many "successful" people, is always looking for the next challenge and is also willing to re-define "success" dynamically. He is going to face some NCAA headwinds next year, and those headwinds would arguably significantly de-value what he has accomplished. He also doesn't want to be forced to admit he was "less than truthful" to the NCAA.

He can avoid basically all of that by moving on to the next challenge. The NCAA won't chase him if he is gone. It will be a lot easier to display EUTM if he isn't under some kind of NCAA cloud, even if in the end he could avoid more suspensions. He can declare victory and move on, or he can stay and fight it out. I am betting on the former, but I also think it depends on the NFL offers. Unlike most on this board (it seems), I don't think there are NFL teams lining up to take JH. He has baggage that raises questions. OTOH, I  am sure there are places in the NFL he could get the head coach job. He will possibly have to accept conditions that he doesn't want, like a GM having control over personnel. JH might not be willing to accept that, for instance. Going forward, JH has many opportunities but IMO most are not  "all good" for him. Finding the "optimal" path is probably difficult.

I wouldn't be so quick to discount the possibility that the looming NCAA investigation makes him more likely to stay at Michigan. It's pretty clear that Harbaugh is adamant that almost anything the NCAA does is wrongheaded and borderline malicious. He speaks frequently about wanting a better CFB that includes payment of players. Is it such a leap to think that he might view the NCAA case as a cause celebre that can ultimately advance what he views as a better version of CFB oversight?

This is pure speculation on my part. But so is most of the stuff that's been said about Harbs lately.

[needle]

As a Michigan Man he went to Ann Arbor to deliver a real championship.   Anything less would have been a failure.   Now that he has done that, he can leave and always be hailed as the Michigan Man that delivered the coveted national championship.

Also, prior to the 2023 season, he had yet to experience suspensions for 6 games.

Maybe he stays, maybe he doesn't, but I think those most fond of the EUTM era tend to forget that Harbaugh was looking for that next step the entire time.  Even winning a title with a loaded Michigan program is not enough to stop NFL rumors AND FWIW not enough for JH to tell media types during interviews that he will stay at Michigan next year.

While I think this point of view has a lot of merit, I also believe that Harbaugh, like many "successful" people, is always looking for the next challenge and is also willing to re-define "success" dynamically. He is going to face some NCAA headwinds next year, and those headwinds would arguably significantly de-value what he has accomplished. He also doesn't want to be forced to admit he was "less than truthful" to the NCAA.

He can avoid basically all of that by moving on to the next challenge. The NCAA won't chase him if he is gone. It will be a lot easier to display EUTM if he isn't under some kind of NCAA cloud, even if in the end he could avoid more suspensions. He can declare victory and move on, or he can stay and fight it out. I am betting on the former, but I also think it depends on the NFL offers. Unlike most on this board (it seems), I don't think there are NFL teams lining up to take JH. He has baggage that raises questions. OTOH, I  am sure there are places in the NFL he could get the head coach job. He will possibly have to accept conditions that he doesn't want, like a GM having control over personnel. JH might not be willing to accept that, for instance. Going forward, JH has many opportunities but IMO most are not  "all good" for him. Finding the "optimal" path is probably difficult.

I wouldn't be so quick to discount the possibility that the looming NCAA investigation makes him more likely to stay at Michigan. It's pretty clear that Harbaugh is adamant that almost anything the NCAA does is wrongheaded and borderline malicious. He speaks frequently about wanting a better CFB that includes payment of players. Is it such a leap to think that he might view the NCAA case as a cause celebre that can ultimately advance what he views as a better version of CFB oversight?

This is pure speculation on my part. But so is most of the stuff that's been said about Harbs lately.