ESPN’s Paul Finebaum Argues Jim Harbaugh’s Departure Is a ‘Positive’ for Michigan
After winning the national championship at his alma mater Michigan, Jim Harbaugh is once again off to the NFL. The former San Francisco 49ers coach returns to California to lead the Los Angeles Chargers, a job he accepted on Wednesday.
Any team losing a national title-winning coach would find itself in a tough spot. However, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum—a frequent Harbaugh critic, albeit one that gave the coach plenty of credit in recent weeks—thinks there’s a real silver lining for Michigan.
Finebaum was all across ESPN’s airwaves on Thursday morning, appearing on Get Up and First Take to talk about Harbaugh’s “complicated legacy,” saying that his departure is probably a relief for some in Ann Arbor given the coach’s personality, his constant dalliances with the NFL and the NCAA trouble he leaves behind.
“It’s a big blow, but it’s also a relief in some circles,” Finebaum said on Get Up. “Because Jim Harbaugh brought so much controversy. That NCAA investigation is still out there. It has two prongs to it. Without Harbaugh, I think it will abate. They’ll still get some sort of sanction but I don’t think it will be nearly as serious.”
Jim Harbaugh led his alma mater Michigan to Big Ten and national championships in 2023–24 before leaving for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK
He continued the discussion on First Take, reminding viewers of the roller coaster ride that was Harbaugh’s Michigan tenure—one that very nearly ended in a firing just a few years ago after the 2–4 COVID-19 season in 2020. On his second lengthy morning show appearance, the SEC Network host called the move a “positive” for Michigan multiple times.
“I think it’s a positive, frankly,” Finebaum said. “He was at Michigan nine years. The first six years weren’t exactly virtuoso, OK? He nearly got fired and he was this close to getting fired. And the last three years were brilliant, and everyone agrees with that, and that’s why we’re celebrating him. And we should celebrate him. But he’s leaving behind a mess. … There are two separate NCAA investigations ongoing, and will be adjudicated, and I think in some ways that’s a positive for Michigan. That without him around, they will probably skate much easier.”
Finebaum says Michigan has the added benefit of having Harbaugh’s logical replacement on staff, which should help them avoid the significant roster turnover that has hit other programs with coaching changes, most notably Alabama.
“Michigan is going to be OK. Sherrone Moore is going to be elevated in a couple of days once they meet the legal requirement. He did a spectacular job on the field. … The players like him. And the biggest change for Michigan, they will probably hold on to most of their roster, unlike Alabama who in the last two weeks have seen massive carnage.”
