Texas Did In Seven Hours What Michigan Has Been Attempting To Do For Weeks
It just took the University of Texas seven hours to hire current Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian after firing Tom Herman earlier today. Texas did this within a few days of their last game — a bowl win, mind you — and while Sarkisian is still employed by Alabama and gearing up for a national championship game.
Even with all of his shortcomings through six seasons, Jim Harbaugh has reportedly had an offer from Michigan sitting on the table for weeks just waiting to be signed - and he still hasn’t signed it. The delay was reportedly due to the fact that the contract was “going through legal”, whatever that means. The reality, however, is that these situations often move quickly when both sides are motivated - and Texas and Sarkisian just proved it.
Regardless of whether or not Harbaugh is back in Ann Arbor for the 2021 season, the reality - assuming these reports are correct - is that he’s left the University of Michigan hanging for weeks while exploring other opportunities. Given everything that this fan base has had to endure during Harbaugh’s tenure, this feels like a massive slap in the face to put it mildly. If Harbaugh was truly committed to doing what he was brought to Ann Arbor to do, the negotiation process could have been resolved easily within a week - even if there were still some disagreements among both sides. The idea that Harbaugh is simply holding out for effect or to create a buzz with the announcements of his new assistants just makes no sense.
Michigan has left the ball in Harbaugh’s court for the better part of a month. At this point, my respect for the University of Michigan would skyrocket tremendously if they pulled whatever offer was extended, paid Harbaugh his $10 million dollar buyout, and promptly showed him the exit.
The university deserves better, the football program deserves better and the fan base deserves better.
