Michigan Wolverines Players Knew Jim Harbaugh Was Going to Leave Them to Try for a Super Bowl
Former Michigan Wolverines and current Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh’s departure from college football was a storyline that followed him and his team all the way to their national championship victory over the Washington Huskies in early January.
The Wolverines finished 15-0 and brought home the national title despite Jim Harbaugh’s potential departure looming over the Michigan football program. Harbaugh might have waited had he not been able to win the national championship, but players on the team now say they knew his departure was imminent.
Michigan Wolverines edge rusher, who was one of the 18 Wolverines to attend the NFL Scouting Combine, said that he knew Jim Harbaugh wanted to chase a Super Bowl in an article from USA Today.
“He’s always told us that it was his dream to go back to the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl,” McGregor said.
Before Harbaugh took the job with the Chargers, many speculated that there was a possibility he would stay with Michigan. Harbaugh interviewed for NFL jobs in the few years before last year and decided to stay with Michigan, so it wasn’t a sure thing that he would be leaving for the NFL.
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Harbaugh was at the combine supporting the Michigan players he recruited, but this time he was there as the head coach of an NFL team, scouting potential stars of the future. He expressed his love for the combine in the same USA Today article.
Many fans view Harbaugh’s departure from college football as a way for him to escape the scandals surrounding him as opposed to another attempt at a Super Bowl.
Harbaugh is currently under investigation for an alleged sign-stealing scandal that occurred while he was the head coach at Michigan. Staffer Connor Stalions was fired for his role in the scandal, which allegedly involved traveling to other teams’ games to steal signs, which is illegal in the NCAA.
The Big Ten Conference suspended Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season as a result of these allegations.
“The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation,” the conference said in a statement.
Harbaugh said in an article from ESPN that he had no involvement in any sign-stealing operations.
“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment,” Harbaugh said.
This suspension from the Big Ten came after Harbaugh served a three-game self-imposed suspension at the beginning of the year for recruiting violations. In what has come to be known as “Burger Gate,” Harbaugh had impermissible contact with a recruit during a COVID dead period.
These scandals and violations are what many believe to be the main reason for Harbaugh’s departure from college football similar to how former USC Trojans head coach Pete Carroll left for the NFL amid scandal.
