Jim Harbaugh NFL rumors: Joel Klatt chimes in

Will the Wolverines’ Big Ten title-winning head coach leave Michigan football for the NFL after the 2023 season? That appears to be a question that a lot of people in the national media — including analyst Joel Klatt — are asking. Recently, Klatt outlined some of his thoughts on the current Jim Harbaugh NFL rumors.

Joel Klatt details thoughts on Jim Harbaugh NFL rumors

Jim Harbaugh has coached a lot of teams and seen a great deal of success just about everywhere he has been so far. Perhaps most attractive on his resume, at least when talking about Harbaugh as an NFL candidate, is his four-year stint with the San Fransisco 49ers — a period in which Harbaugh took San Fransisco from worst to first in the NFC, appearing in the title game three times and a Super Bowl once.

“The thing is, every NFL opening, I think he’s going to be in the top three names on the list,” analyst Joel Klatt said on ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd.’ “I don’t think that just a simple answer will do. No. 1 is, he is a very competitive person, very. And he has succeeded everywhere he’s been, including the NFL, obviously, look at what San Francisco was when he was there. You know, three straight NFC Championship games, a loss late in a Super Bowl.”

Michigan football has a competitive head coach

As all Michigan football fans know, Jim Harbaugh is a competitive person in just about all aspects of his life. Joel Klatt thinks that this could also be a factor in Harbaugh’s decision after the 2023 season.

“And that’s the element of a competitive guy,” Klatt said. “Do you think in the back of his mind, he thinks to himself like ‘Man, we were that close to winning a Super Bowl with Colin Kaepernick as quarterback.’ I wonder if the competitive juices would get him to go. Now, I don’t want to see him leave college football because I love college football.”

Jim Harbaugh NFL rumors gain steam with university issues

Jim Harbaugh has seen his ups and downs with Michigan football, and despite all of his recent success, there have been some documented issues within the university that may also be a driving factor in Harbaugh’s 2024 decision.

“The dynamic with him and his leadership at (Michigan football) is interesting,” Joel Klatt explained. “I believe that there is some tension, and it’s the reason why the President had to jump in and do the new contract. I just know that there’s some tension, and by the way, it has seeped into this self-imposed suspension at the beginning of this year.”

For the time being, Jim Harbaugh is all-in on Michigan football, though for all of the reasons that Joel Klatt pointed out, the NFL will be calling, and a decision will be made next year.

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