Despite early reports, Michigan football coach, Jim Harbaugh, will not be in the running to be the next head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
When Jim Harbaugh was preparing for his second straight college football playoff appearance at the end of 2022, there were several reports about a possible return to the NFL. With several teams having coaching vacancies, it was reported that Harbaugh leaving Michigan to return to the NFL was almost a given; it was just going to come down to which team. However, that has proven not to be the case as Jim Harbaugh has publicly declared he will be remaining at the collegiate level as coach of the Michigan Wolverines.
On Monday, Harbaugh released a statement expressing his commitment to Michigan, saying, “My heart is at the University of Michigan. I once heard a wise man say, “Don’t try to out-happy, happy.” Go Blue!” This statement not only ended all speculation, but it let teams like the Indianapolis Colts know that Harbaugh isn’t even interested in exploring any possible openings.
Statement from Jim Harbaugh: pic.twitter.com/x7Ri6gaYPr
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 16, 2023
Jim Harbaugh won’t be a candidate for the Colts
Many believed that if Harbaugh was interested in returning to the league, the Colts would be one of his top options. Considering that Harbaugh played for the team and is in the franchise’s Ring of Honor, it would’ve been very fitting for him to return as head coach and lead the team back to dominance. However, that won’t be the case, at least not anytime soon.
Indianapolis wasn’t really waiting around for Harbaugh though. The Colts are already deep in a coaching search and have been lining up interviews with just about every promising candidate throughout the league. Some of these names have really excited fans and other names left fans hoping that the Colts go a different direction. It’s too early to tell if Indy is leaning in any particular direction but we know that Chris Ballard said he plans to be thorough and not rush the decision.
Whatever the direction, it won’t be Jim Harbaugh but it has to be someone that can get the Colts turned around. With a top-five draft pick, some quality players already under contract, and some cap space to make moves, Indianapolis needs to make the right decisions this offseason if the team is going to return to contender status in 2023.
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