Debunking the Reasons Why Harbaugh Won't Leave the NFL

UPDATE (12/27/14): This morning I received a text message from a good friend who has connections in the Michigan Athletic Department. This friend informed me that two separate sources of his were telling him very similar things about Jim Harbaugh and the opening at Michigan. I asked the friend if he could share either of the correspondences so that I may share it here on the blog and he obliged. FWIW, after receiving the screen grab of the text, I verified that the source is very much someone inside Michigan who would be in the know regarding the kind of information he shared.

Below I have transcribed the text my friend shared with me, with the actual image posted below that:

"I know our top guys are in San Francisco this weekend and we are preparing the press conference for Wednesday or Thursday. Like I said on the phone, it all hinges on if (49ers general manager) Mr. Baalke and (49ers owner) Mr. York drag there [sic] collective feet but our understanding is that Mr. Harbaugh has a meeting first thing Monday morning with the decision makers in San Fran and we expect him to ask for his release. So as of now that's the timeline we project but these things always change last minute but I can say it's what we expect."

The scuttlebutt online today is that something official with Harbaugh and Michigan could happen as soon as Tuesday, with some saying Harbaugh will even be at Michigan's men's basketball game vs. Illinois that afternoon. According to my friend's source, UM is preparing for a presser on Wednesday or Thursday, but even he says at the end that that's only the timeline they expect, so don't necessarily take this for gospel.

Some outlets, most notably Bleacher Report, are saying it's a basically a done deal. I'd say there's a 1-in-1000 chance the Raiders could still swoop in, but overall, I'd take this just to say Michigan is in fact at the one-yard line and is as on the precipice of punching it in.

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University of Michigan interim athletic director Jim Hackett fired former Michigan football head coach Brady Hoke on December 2nd. It has been 3 weeks to the day since Hoke’s ouster and still Michigan has yet to hire his replacement. But we all know the primary reason for this: Hackett and all the Wolverine faithful are waiting for the San Francisco 49ers lame duck head coach Jim Harbaugh to become available.

The Niners’ season comes to an end this Sunday, December 28th. Once their season concludes it’s widely expected that San Francisco will officially cut ties with Harbaugh, even though Harbaugh has one year and $5 million remaining on his contract. 

Everyone and their mother knows that Harbaugh is Michigan’s top candidate to replace Hoke as head coach of the Wolverines football program. 

Hackett and Co. have been incredibly patient in their pursuit of Harbaugh - hiring the search firm Korn Ferry to thoroughly vet numerous candidates and never officially commenting on their pursuit of Harbaugh even after it was reported that Michigan has offered the coach a contract in the neighborhood of 6-8 years for $48 or $49 million, depending on whom you listen to.

In the blogosphere and Twitterverse, rumblings have been ranging from cautious optimism to outright claims that Harbaugh to Michigan is a “done deal.” And yet…skepticism remains from local to national reporters that Harbaugh won’t leave the NFL for the college ranks. (To be fair, that skepticism has been waning the last couple days, but it's still there.)

Let’s take a look at some of the more popular reasons these reporters and bloggers say Harbaugh won’t be Michigan’s next coach and poke holes in them after the jump, shall we?

Let's do this!