According to nytimes Jim Harbaugh will be announced at a noon news conference Tuesday as the University of Michigan’s next football coach, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Harbaugh, who is expected to arrive in Michigan later Monday, completed his fourth season as coach of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon. He will also be introduced at the Michigan-Illinois men’s basketball game, which starts at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Harbaugh is considered by many to be the best coach available at the collegiate or professional level. A Michigan alumnus, he was the team’s starting quarterback in his final three seasons, from 1984 to 1986, under Bo Schembechler.Harbaugh has found success at each stop in his head coaching career, even though his stay each time has not been long.
He was 29-6 in three years at the University of San Diego. In four years at Stanford, he resurrected a dismal program, coached two Heisman Trophy finalists, Andrew Luck and Toby Gerhart; and won the Orange Bowl. He then led the 49ers to three N.F.C. title games and one Super Bowl appearance.
He finished with a 44-19-1 record in his four years with the team, but he clashed this season with management, notably General Manager Trent Baalke. The 49ers missed the playoffs for the first time under Harbaugh, ending the season with an 8-8 record after a 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Shortly after Sunday’s victory, Harbaugh, who had one year remaining on his contract, confirmed that he would be leaving the 49ers, although he did not say whether he had resigned or been fired, according to The Associated Press.
The 49ers released a statement suggesting that the parting of ways was mutual.
“Jim and I have come to the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interest to move in different directions,” Jed York, the team’s chief executive, said in the statement. “We thank Jim for bringing a tremendous competitive nature and a great passion for the game to the 49ers. He and his staff restored a winning culture that has been the standard for our franchise throughout its history. Their commitment and hard work resulted in a period of success that should be looked back on proudly by our organization and our fans.”
His new contract with Michigan, reported to be worth about $48 million over six years, would make him among the highest paid coaches at any level.
His hiring is a triumphant moment for a proud program that has fallen on hard times. Many Michigan fans point to Nov. 17, 2006, the day Schembechler died, as the start of the program’s decline.
Lloyd Carr, a longtime Michigan coach and a former Schembechler assistant, retired after the 2007 season, and Michigan’s next two hires, Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke, flopped. Rodriguez was considered too much of an outsider and never received full support from alumni. Hoke’s win total decreased each season.
In the seven years with Rodriguez and Hoke at the helm, Michigan was 46-42, won one major bowl game (the 2012 Sugar Bowl) and finished with a losing record three times.
Michigan officials were so eager to hire Harbaugh that they were waiting in the San Francisco area Sunday night to speak to him as soon as the 49ers’ season ended.
There had been reports that Harbaugh had drawn interest from other N.F.L. teams, most notably the Oakland Raiders, who would have had to work out a trade given Harbaugh’s contract status with the 49ers. Instead, Harbaugh will return to Ann Arbor to try to revitalize his alma mater.
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