University of Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh is reportedly leaving the school after winning a national championship this year and is joining the NFL as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Charges.
“Jim Harbaugh is leaving Michigan to accept the head coaching job with the Los Angeles Chargers,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said. “The Chargers get their man while the national champions now have a head-coach opening.”
Harbaugh has had multiple successful coaching stints as a head coach, including at Stanford, Michigan, and the San Francisco 49ers.
Michigan reportedly extended an offer to Harbaugh that would have made him the highest paid coach at the college-level but he turned it down and opted to go back to the NFL. Harbaugh led the team to a 34-13 win over the Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff National Championship earlier this month.
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Harbaugh’s departure from Michigan comes as the program was engulfed in a sign-stealing scandal that could have resulted in him being charged with major NCAA violations, according to CBS Sports. The scandal was reportedly a large part of his contract negotiations with the school because he wanted the school to provide him with immunity from termination.
“Under the NCAA’s coach responsibility provision, which was strengthened just one year ago on Jan. 1, 2023, Harbaugh would be charged with a Level I violation in the sign-stealing scandal if any member of his staff is found to have committed a Level I violation,” the report said. “The charge itself cannot be argued; however, the severity of the penalty can be debated before the NCAA Committee on Infractions. The Level I finding would remain on Harbaugh’s record no matter his level of compliance, monitoring or diligence in the matter.”
Harbaugh and Michigan were also under NCAA investigation for alleged recruiting violations during the coronavirus pandemic, the report said, noting that he was charged with a Level I violation for allegedly misleading NCAA investigators over the alleged infractions.
The report added that had Harbaugh stayed at Michigan he could have been “on the hook for substantial legal fees” to fight both cases, according to legal experts in the sports world.