The Jim Harbaugh era has come to an end at Michigan.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jim Harbaugh will become the next head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers. The news broke on Wednesday evening, with ESPN reporting it as a five-year deal.
Harbaugh is fresh off leading the Wolverines to their first national championship since 1997 after Michigan beat Washington, 34-13, in Houston on January 8. His record at the helm in Ann Arbor finishes 85-25 (144-52 overall at the college level) after nine seasons. From 2021 to 2023, Harbaugh coached Michigan to three Big Ten titles, two College Football Playoff semifinal losses and three-straight wins of rival Ohio State.
He was hired on December 30, 2014, after being relieved of his coaching duties with the San Francisco 49ers .
The Chargers were considered the front runners to land Harbaugh since mid-December when they fired former head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco following a blowout loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Harbaugh is expected to take defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and his son Jay Harbaugh with him as part of his NFL coaching staff.
Back in Ann Arbor, offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore is the favorite to take over the Wolverines. Harbaugh served two separate three-game suspensions during the 2023 campaign, which ultimately saw Moore step in at times as interim coach to lead Michigan in his absence. This included Michigan’s regular season finale against Ohio State.
On Twitter (X), former Michigan right guard Zak Zinter tweeted in favor of Moore taking over: “No interviews needed. It’s Papa Moore’s time” in a retweet of Schefter’s original post.
UPDATE: Officials from the University of Michigan have released statements about the departure of Jim Harbaugh on Wednesday.
