FOX analyst thinks Jim Harbaugh told Michigan he is staying

Things with the Big Ten Conference and NCAA are starting to get very real for the Michigan football program and its long-time head coach, Jim Harbaugh, who are currently 10-0 and ranked No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings. With U-M meeting the Big Ten in court this Friday in hopes of getting a TRO that will allow Harbaugh to coach against Maryland and Ohio State, it’s clear that the University of Michigan is all-in on keeping Harbaugh happy and in Ann Arbor. In fact, U-M is doing so much right now that FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt — one of the best in the business — believes that Harbaugh has already informed the school that he does not plan on leaving for the NFL.

Michigan football program is going to bat for Jim Harbaugh right now

Joel Klatt is one of the top analysts in the country and a highly respected FOX Sports analyst who has spent a lot of time around the University of Michigan football program and more — even before the Wolverines returned to prominence in 2021.

Is this a sign that Harbaugh has already turned down a return to the NFL?

Earlier, appearing on ‘The Herd’ with Colin Cowherd, Klatt had an interesting take on where things stand with Jim Harbaugh and Michigan football amid scandal and a battle against the Big Ten Conference. Klatt believes that the University of Michigan is going to bat for Harbaugh so hard right now because he has already turned down the NFL and shared his intention of staying in Ann Arbor long-term.

“This is as an outside observer that understands — I’ve observed this program and the people in it very closely for the last three years from the time that they wanted to move on and reduced his pay, you know, after COVID, until now. And I will tell you, there is just a huge part of me that believes that he has told the powers that be at Michigan, ‘I’m staying,’ and that’s why they’re digging their heels in for him and supporting him,” Joel Klatt explained on FOX Sports on Wednesday. “… I do believe that there’s some thought that the way that they are defending him will increase the chances that he stays. That he has expressed interest in being there, and this is where he wants to be. This is where he felt his family wanted to be, and so because of those factors, Michigan has dug their heels in even further.

“If there were a 51% chance or a 52% chance that he was gone at the end of this year, I don’t know if (University of Michigan) President Santa Ono is doing what he’s doing,” FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt added.”I don’t know if they’re taking (this position) as an institution, the posture that they’re taking against the Big Ten unless they know that this is for the long haul.”

Time will tell where Jim Harbaugh lands

Only time will tell if Jim Harbaugh wants to head back to the NFL or not, but for the time being, it looks like he is all-in on Michigan football, which he dubbed to be “America’s team” on Monday.

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