Michigan's Jim Harbaugh plays coy amid NFL rumors: 'I just want to enjoy this'
Michigan AD Warde Manuel said he wants Harbaugh back
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jim Harbaugh achieved his goal – win a national championship for Michigan.
The Wolverines topped Washington on Monday night 34-13 to win the program’s first title since 1997. As the final whistle blew, the rumor mill about Harbaugh jumping to the NFL started to churn. It was already in the atmosphere in the days and weeks before the game, but it reached a fever pitch.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates following the CFP National Championship against the Washington Huskies on Jan. 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
He played coy when asked about his next move.
"I just want to enjoy this. I hope you give me that. Can a guy have that?" Harbaugh said. "Does it always have to be, ‘What’s next, what’s the future?’"
Harbaugh let one plan out as he spoke to the media. He said he would indeed follow through on the 15-0 tattoo he vowed to get if the team had an undefeated season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I’m going to put it on my shoulder – I don’t know if it’s my left or right yet," he added. "I’m a right-handed quarterback. I’ll probably get it on my right. And then an ‘M’ that’s a maize and blue ‘M.’ Also that signifies a thousand in Roman numerals. Can’t tell you what that means to us, too, that we reached 1,000 wins this year."
Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines reacts during the press conference after defeating the Washington Huskies at NRG Stadium on Jan. 8, 2024, in Houston. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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The option for him to jump to the NFL will be there. The Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly among the teams interested in his services.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said he hoped Harbaugh would stay.
"The man went to a Super Bowl, won a conference championship, went to a Super Bowl, went back to a conference championship," Manuel said, via MLive.com. "How many did they fire today? That’s like an annual thing. If I was in the pros, I would want to talk to him too because of what he accomplished. However, I’m not in the pros and I want to keep him as our coach. …
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines gestures after the CFP National Championship game at NRG Stadium on Jan. 8, 2024, in Houston. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
"I want him to stay at Michigan. I’ve said. I believed it. Three to four years ago, when people wanted me to get rid of him, I didn’t because I believed it then and I believe it now."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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