Paul Finebaum Blasts Jim Harbaugh

A few days ago, Paul Finebaum joined Mike Greenberg on ESPN's Get Up and he had a few things to say about Jim Harbaugh. Finebaum has always had something to say about Harbaugh and, while they seemed out of place and over the line in the past, nowadays, they simply aren't.

"Jim Harbaugh is not going to survive. You don’t start cutting someone’s salary after doing a lousy job the last couple of years and expect him to suddenly do something that he hasn’t done."

Finebaum made sure to point out that he used to receive endless backlash from Michigan fans whenever he'd speak about Jim Harbaugh. Now, crickets. He knows that the majority of the fanbase is over Harbaugh and ready for something new. Michigan fans don't care much for Finebaum because of his incredible bias involving the SEC, but they'd have a hard time arguing the point above.

"We’re not talking about some middling program in the middle of nowhere; we’re talking about the University of Michigan here. This is one of the great programs in the history of college football. For the university to acknowledge that it’s okay to be lousy or mediocre is embarrassing and shameful."

Finebaum is right. He's giving props to one of the preeminent college football programs in the country while also calling a spade a spade. Michigan hasn't performed like a powerhouse, blue blood in a long time and it doesn't look like its going to any time soon. That's obviously not all on Harbaugh (not even close, in fact), but he's bearing the brunt of it right now and will continue to do so as the current head coach, a former star player, a disciple of Bo Schembechler and as an extremely well-paid head coach (until this year).

"Ultimately, he has to beat Ohio State. You know what? He’s not going to to do it. He’s not going to do it next year, the year after — I don’t think he’s ever going to do it."

It's painful to hear it. It's painful to read. It was painful for me to type — but I agree. After what we've all seen over the past 2-3 years, how can you argue it? Ohio State is doing everything on another planet compared to Michigan right now and it just doesn't look to be changing anytime soon.

"I thought it was a great hire when he came there. I thought it was one of the great, seminal hires in modern college football history. It turned out to be a bust."

I was ecstatic when Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh. As a fan, I thought the would lead the Wolverines to the promised land and as a member of the media, I expected to witness firsthand and cover some phenomenal football. None of that has happened so this is exactly where I'm at. Bust is probably too strong a word, but Harbaugh has not achieved any of the things most thought he would. He didn't turn the tide against Michigan State, he hasn't been competitive with Ohio State, he hasn't even played for a Big Ten title and he hasn't sniffed the playoff.

"We can keep propping him up but it’s not going to change. If Jim Harbaugh was the CEO of Amazon or Apple or a major Fortune 500 company, he would’ve been shown the door a long time ago. I just don’t understand why Michigan has sold its soul to prop up this guy who’s just a mediocre coach."

This is something every Michigan fan has asked themselves over the last year or two. Several months back it became clear that Warde Manuel wasn't going to fire Jim Harbaugh, and Manuel himself even admitted that he had no backup plan while Harbaugh took more than a month to figure out if he wanted to be in Ann Arbor anymore. So after six years of being statistically the fifth best team in the Big Ten, Harbaugh got an extension and is heading into year seven with more question marks surrounding his program than ever before. He has cleaned house, hired people to new positions and is hoping that another transfer quarterback can be the best one yet, and for some reason, Manuel and the athletic department seem completely content with all of that.

"In fact, I think he’ll be gone when this next season comes to an end. I think he has virtually no chance of surviving."

You don't have to like Paul Finebaum, and you don't have to like what he says, but the dude has been doing it for a long time and is as plugged in as anyone. I'm not saying he knows anything concrete about Jim Harbaugh's future, but if he thinks 2021 is Harbaugh's last year in Ann Arbor, I'd at least call it a realistic possibility. And the contract extension is the biggest piece of evidence supporting that. You don't cut someone's salary in half and essentially remove a buyout clause if you're happy with what they're doing. That seems like a chess move that allows the higher ups to put wheels in motion in order to get ready for what's next.