Jim Harbaugh leaves Michigan to be Chargers head coach

LOS ANGELES — Jim Harbaugh is leaving the national champion Michigan Wolverines to become coach of the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers, the team announced Wednesday.

Harbaugh's deal is for five years, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

“The only job you start at the top is to dig a hole, so we know we have to earn our way,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “…This organization is working hard: investing capital, building infrastructure, and doing everything in its power to win. Big efforts mean big results, and we're just getting started.”

Harbaugh was considered one of the most sought-after candidates in this coaching cycle due to his success at the collegiate and professional levels. Since beginning his head coaching career in 2006 at the University of San Diego, Harbaugh has enjoyed success at Stanford and Michigan, as well as in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.

There's also Harbaugh's connection to the Chargers: He played quarterback for the team for two seasons (1999-2000).

“Jim Harbaugh is football personified, and I can’t think of anyone better to lead the Chargers forward,” owner Dean Spanos said in a statement. “The son of a coach, the brother of a coach and the father of a coach who himself was coached by names like Schembechler and Ditka, over the past two decades, Jim has led hundreds of men to success everywhere he was – like their coach. And today, Jim Harbaugh returns to the Chargers, this time as coach. Who has it better than us? »

Spanos cited the rallying cry that Harbaugh relied on during that season at Michigan, when he shouted, “Who has it better than us?” to the players. It's a phrase he received from his father, Jack, to remind him to be grateful.

WHO IS BETTER THAN US??

– Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 25, 2024

As a collegiate coach, Harbaugh is 144-42, winning three Big Ten championships and Michigan's first national title since 1997 last season.

He was 86-25 at Michigan and restored relevance to college football's winningest program after it slipped for several seasons under Brady Hoke and Rich Rodriguez following the winning coach's retirement of the Lloyd Carr National Championship.

The rival Ohio State Buckeyes had an eight-game winning streak against the Wolverines until Harbaugh helped them end the streak in 2021, leading to their first of three straight Big Ten titles and appearances in the College Football Playoff.

After two straight semifinal losses, extending Harbaugh's winless streak in bowl games to six, Michigan outlasted Alabama in the Rose Bowl last season and pulled away from Washington to win the national championship with a school record of 15-0.

“My love for Michigan, playing there and returning to coach there, leaves a lasting impact. I will always be a loyal Wolverine,” Harbaugh said in his statement. “I am extremely fortunate to have had the privilege of being coached in places where life’s journey has created strong personal connections for me.

“From my work as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky alongside my father, Jack, and time spent as an assistant with the Raiders, to being a head coach at USD, Stanford, the 49ers and Michigan – each of these opportunities had meaning, each one felt personal. When I played for the Chargers, the Spanos family could not have been kinder or more welcoming. Being back here feels like home, and it's great to see that these things haven't changed.

Despite the ultimate triumph at Michigan, 2023 was an adversity-filled season for Harbaugh, who served two three-game suspensions. He missed the first three games due to an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations in 2020, and he missed the final three games of the regular season following a sign-stealing scandal and the subsequent dismissal of staff member Connor Stalions.

In statements, University of Michigan President Santa Ono and athletic director Warde Manuel both said the Wolverines program discussed a new contract that would have made Harbaugh the top coach paid college football.

Harbaugh spent four seasons (2011-2014) as head coach of the 49ers, being named NFL Coach of the Year in his first season. He led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens, coached by his brother John.

Harbaugh left the 49ers with a steady 44-19-1 record.

The Chargers are scheduled to face the Ravens next season at SoFi Stadium, which will now officially be a John vs. Jim Harbaugh matchup.

When Harbaugh took over the 49ers, he was rebuilding a team that had fallen from the NFL's elite and missed the playoffs for eight straight seasons.

He will have a similar challenge with the Chargers, who finished 5-12 this season and have three playoff victories since 2008. Another task for Harbaugh will be deciding how to construct the Chargers' roster, as the team expected to earn $27.5 million. the league's salary cap, according to ESPN's roster management system.

Harbaugh and the Chargers had been linked since the start of the offseason. Still, one of the potential challenges of the Harbaugh-Chargers meeting was whether Spanos was willing to pay Harbaugh a competitive salary, one that would keep him away from Michigan and other NFL teams.

While the Chargers signed record player contracts, the organization developed a reputation for not paying coaches. The Spanoses have denied the claim, with team president John Spanos telling reporters in December that he did not know where the stories “came from” and that the team had never had limits on matter of expenses.

“You don't create a resume like Jim's by accident, and you don't do it yourself,” Chargers President John Spanos said in a statement. “You need a team. And no one has built a team as successfully and repeatedly in recent history as Jim Harbaugh. His former players swear by him and his opponents swear by him . Jim is one of them.”

The Chargers fired coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco on Dec. 15, following a 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15.

Now that the Chargers have found their leader on the field, they now turn their attention to the front office and hiring a general manager, a role that will be critical to Harbaugh's comfort with the team. During his last stint in the NFL, Harbaugh reportedly clashed with 49ers general manager Trent Baalke and team management, leading to his departure for Michigan.

The Chargers interviewed nine general manager candidates, including several with ties to Harbaugh, such as Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds, who worked for the Raiders when Harbaugh was the team's QB coach in 2003. The Chargers conducted a second interview Tuesday with Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown. , sources told Jeremy Fowler.

The Chargers conducted an extensive coaching search after firing Staley, interviewing 15 top candidates in the league.

They started internally with interim head coach Giff Smith and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore before interviewing former Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan , Raiders DC Patrick Graham, former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, former Stanford coach David. Shaw, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald.

Staley finished his 48-game tenure with the Chargers with a .500 record, with a playoff appearance that ended in a historic loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Chargers started at 30-1 to win next season's Super Bowl at DraftKings, but those odds improved to 25-1 on Wednesday.

Michigan, meanwhile, is focusing its search on offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to replace Harbaugh, and he is expected to be offered the job barring an unexpected development, sources told Chris Low from ESPN. Moore served as interim head coach for four games during the 2023 season – once during Harbaugh's initial suspension and throughout Harbaugh's second three-game suspension.

“Jim has done exactly what he sought to do at Michigan, build our program to consistently win Big Ten championships and compete for national championships,” Manuel said in a statement. “…We can't thank Jim enough for all he did for our student-athletes, our staff and Michigan Football. He will always be an integral part of our rich history and will be remembered as a great football player. all time. Wolverine, both as a championship player and coach.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.