Jim Harbaugh Will Leave Ann Arbor With A Completed Checklist

When Jim Harbaugh was hired by Michigan in 2015, everyone just knew that the Wolverines would be winning the Big Ten and likely a national title or two within a couple of years.

But that's not how it played out. Instead, Harbaugh struggled against the best teams for six seasons and was almost shown the door in 2020. With a .500 record against Michigan State, a goose egg against Ohio State and obviously no trips to the Big Ten title game or the College Football Playoff, fans and media began to wonder if Harbaugh was even the right guy for the job.

Then, in 2021, it all changed. Yes, Mel Tucker and the Michigan State Spartans did hand Michigan a loss in East Lansing, but after the, the Wolverines went on to dominate Ohio State in Ann Arbor and then throttled Iowa in the Big Ten Championship. Unfortunately, the Wolverines ran into one of the best college teams ever assembled in Georgia and got tossed out of the CFP. In 2022, things got even better. Harbaugh led Michigan to an undefeated regular season, which obviously included another win over Ohio State, another Big Ten title and another berth in the playoff. The Wolverines came into the game against TCU a little overconfident and once again, exited in the first round.

Then the 2023 season happened. A third straight win over Ohio State, a third straight Big Ten title and a third straight trip to the CFP, this time against Nick Saban and Alabama. The third time was a charm as the Wolverines knocked Saban into retirement and out of the playoff setting up a date with Washington for a national title. The Wolverines rolled the Huskies and won an outright national championship by a whopping 21 points putting a cap on a perfect 15-0 season.

So yes, Harbaugh's checklist is complete. His most recent win over Michigan State was a 49-0 beatdown in East Lansing and the Spartans aren't even on the radar anymore. Yes, Harbaugh's record against Ohio State is just 3-5, but the most recent three matchups are all wins and U-M definitely has OSU shook right now. There are three new Big Ten Championship trophies in the case and now, there's a National Championship trophy in there as well. There's nothing left for Harbaugh to do. If he returned to Michigan, he would almost certainly fall short of what happened in 2023 because it's simply so hard to do.

So now is the perfect time for Harbaugh to ride off into the sunset and try his hand at the NFL again. Most Michigan fans are just fine with that and thank Harbaugh immensely for what he did while in Ann Arbor.