After months of speculation and multiple interviews over the last week, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is headed back to the NFL with news breaking on Wednesday evening that the Los Angeles Chargers will name him the team’s next head coach.
Thus, college football’s coaching carousel is spinning again.
It could be a quick search in Ann Arbor. There’s a belief among industry sources that Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, the program’s interim head coach for four games this season, is the favorite to succeed Harbaugh.
If that were to happen, it’d be a move that prioritizes continuity and stability for a program just weeks removed from its first national title since 1997.
But even if Moore does get the head coaching job, Harbaugh’s departure creates immediate questions about the Wolverines’ roster.
Michigan is already losing a large swath of its national title team to the NFL Draft, and Harbaugh’s exit opens the door for contributors to leave.
The transfer portal may be closed for most teams nationally, but it’s now back in play for Michigan players.
The transfer portal officially closed for underclassmen on Jan. 2, but that won’t prevent Michigan players from entering.
When the NCAA introduced portal windows, it made an exemption for players whose head coach departed their program.
Once a head coach leaves, a 30-day window is immediately triggered for players on that team to enter the portal.
Given that Harbaugh left for the Chargers on Jan. 24, Michigan underclassmen will have through Feb. 23 to enter.
