Jim Harbaugh leaves Michigan to coach Chargers

LOS ANGELES — Jim Harbaugh is leaving the national champion Michigan Wolverines to coach the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, the team announced Wednesday.

Harbaugh’s deal is for five years, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“The only job you start at the top is digging a hole, so we know we’ve got to earn our way,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “… This organization is putting in the work — investing capital, building infrastructure and doing everything within its power to win. Great effort equals great results, and we’re just getting started.”

Harbaugh was considered among the most desirable candidates in this coaching cycle because of his success in both the college and professional levels. Since his head-coaching career began in 2006 at the University of San Diego, Harbaugh has had success at Stanford and Michigan, and in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.

There’s also Harbaugh’s Chargers connection: He played quarterback for the team for two seasons (1999-2000).

“Jim Harbaugh is football personified, and I can think of no one better to lead the Chargers forward,” owner Dean Spanos said in a statement. “The son of a coach, brother of a coach and father of a coach who himself was coached by names like Schembechler and Ditka, for the past two decades Jim has led hundreds of men to success everywhere he’s been — as their coach. And today, Jim Harbaugh returns to the Chargers, this time as our coach. Who has it better than us?”

Spanos cited the rallying cry that Harbaugh leaned on during this season at Michigan, when he would yell, “Who’s got it better than us?” to players. It’s a phrase he got from his father, Jack, as a reminder to be grateful.

WHO’S GOT IT BETTER THAN US??

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 25, 2024

As a collegiate coach, Harbaugh has a 144-42 record, winning three Big Ten championships and Michigan’s first national title since 1997 this past season.

He was 86-25 at Michigan and restored college football’s winningest program to relevance after it slipped over several seasons under Brady Hoke and Rich Rodriguez following the retirement of national championship-winning coach Lloyd Carr.

The rival Ohio State Buckeyes had an eight-game winning streak against the Wolverines until Harbaugh helped them snap the streak in 2021, leading to their first of three straight Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances.

Following two straight losses in the semifinals, extending Harbaugh’s winless streak in bowl games to six, Michigan outlasted Alabama at the Rose Bowl this past season and pulled away from Washington to win the national championship with a school record 15-0 mark.

“My love for Michigan, playing there and coming back to coach there, leaves a lasting impact. I’ll always be a loyal Wolverine,” Harbaugh said in his statement. “I’m remarkably fortunate to have been afforded the privilege of coaching at places where life’s journey has created strong personal connections for me.

“From working as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky alongside my father, Jack, and time as an assistant with the Raiders, to being a head coach at USD, Stanford, the 49ers and Michigan — each of those opportunities carried significance, each felt personal. When I played for the Chargers, the Spanos family could not have been more gracious or more welcoming. Being back here feels like home, and it’s great to see that those things haven’t changed.”

Despite the ultimate triumph at Michigan, 2023 was a season filled with adversity for Harbaugh, who served two three-game suspensions. He missed the first three games due to an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations in 2020, and he missed the final three games of the regular season following a sign-stealing scandal and the subsequent dismissal of staff member Connor Stalions.

In statements, University of Michigan president Santa Ono and athletic director Warde Manuel both said the Wolverines’ program had discussed a new contract that would have made Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in college football.

Harbaugh spent four seasons (2011-2014) as the 49ers’ head coach, being named the NFL’s Coach of the Year in his first season. He led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens, coached by his brother John.

Harbaugh left the 49ers with a 44-19-1 regular record.

The Chargers are scheduled to play the Ravens next season at SoFi Stadium, which now officially will be a matchup between John and Jim Harbaugh.

When Harbaugh took over the 49ers, he was rebuilding a team which had tumbled from the NFL’s elite and missed the playoffs for eight straight seasons.

He will have a similar challenge with the Chargers, who finished 5-12 this season and have three playoff wins since 2008. Another task for Harbaugh will be deciding the construction of the Chargers’ roster, as the team is projected to be $27.5 million over the league salary cap, according to ESPN’s roster management system.

Harbaugh and the Chargers had been linked since the offseason began. Still, one of the potential challenges for the Harbaugh-Chargers reunion was if Spanos was willing to pay Harbaugh a competitive salary, one that would lure him away from Michigan and other NFL teams.

While the Chargers have signed players to record-breaking contracts, the organization has developed a reputation for not paying coaches. The Spanoses have denied that claim, with team president John Spanos telling reporters in December that he didn’t know where “narratives came from” and that the team has never had limitations with spending.

“You don’t build a résumé like Jim’s by accident, and you don’t do it by yourself,” Chargers president John Spanos said in a statement. “You need a team. And nobody has built a team more successfully, and repeatedly, in recent history than Jim Harbaugh. His former players swear by him, and his opponents swear at him. Jim is one of one.”

The Chargers fired coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco on Dec. 15, following a 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15.

Now that the Chargers have found their on-field leader, they now turn their focus to the front office and hiring a general manager, a role that will be essential for Harbaugh’s comfort with the team. In his last NFL stint, Harbaugh reportedly clashed with 49ers general manager Trent Baalke and team management, leading to his departure for Michigan.

The Chargers interviewed nine candidates for GM, including multiple with Harbaugh ties, such as Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds who worked for the Raiders when Harbaugh was the team’s QB coach in 2003. The Chargers conducted a second interview with Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown on Tuesday, sources told Jeremy Fowler.

The Chargers held an extensive coaching search after firing Staley, interviewing a league high 15 candidates.

They began internally with interim head coach Giff Smith and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore before interviewing former Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, Raiders DC Patrick Graham, former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, former Stanford coach David Shaw, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald.

Staley finished his 48-game Chargers tenure with a .500 record, with one playoff appearance that ended in a historic loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Chargers opened at 30-1 to win next season’s Super Bowl at DraftKings, but those odds improved to 25-1 as of Wednesday.

Michigan, meanwhile, is focusing its search on offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to replace Harbaugh, and he’s expected to be offered the job barring an unexpected development, sources told ESPN’s Chris Low. Moore served as acting head coach for four games during the 2023 season — once during Harbaugh’s initial suspension and for all of Harbaugh’s second three-game suspension.

“Jim did exactly what he sought to do at Michigan, build our program to consistently win Big Ten Championships and compete for national championships,” Manuel said in a statement. “… We can’t thank Jim enough for all that he has done for our student-athletes, staff and Michigan Football. He will always be a huge part of our rich history, and will be remembered as an all-time great Wolverine, as both a championship player and coach.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.