Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who has guided the Wolverines to a national championship and interviewed for an
NFL head coaching position in the same eight days, is still negotiating a contract extension that would make him the
highest-paid college coach in the country. The most recent draft of the six-year agreement that would pay Harbaugh
$11.5 million per year plus incentives was received by Michigan last Friday and includes special wording regarding
termination and extending the start date of the contract to fit the NFL hiring window.
The contract specifics were first published by Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports on Tuesday, and two sources verified them
to The Detroit News. Harbaugh, 60, just finished his eighth season coaching his alma mater, leading Michigan to a
15-0 record and a national championship victory over Washington on January 8. Harbaugh, who recruited high-
powered agent Don Yee last month, met with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, marking the third year in a row
that he has received considerable attention from an NFL franchise. Harbaugh also faces two pending NCAA
investigations regarding the football program. Harbaugh has stated repeatedly that money is not a motivator in his
contract negotiations.
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“You want to be somewhere where you’re wanted,” Harbaugh said in October when questioned about his desire for a
reworked deal at Michigan. “If your managers enjoy what you do and how you do it, they will tell you, and this will be
reflected in your contract. Bottom line, any of us wants to be somewhere where others like how you do things and
what you do. While the financials of his contract appear to be on track, Harbaugh’s contract seeks additional
assurances, specifically a matrix of specific fines for any future NCAA violations, as well as a three-member
arbitration panel that would handle a for-cause firing, rather than the athletic director, in this case Warde Manuel,
making that decision.
