Sources – Jim Harbaugh accepts head teaching job with Chargers

LOS ANGELES — Jim Harbaugh is leaving the nationwide champion Michigan Wolverines to simply accept the top teaching job with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, sources informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday.

Harbaugh was thought-about among the many Chargers’ most fascinating candidates on this teaching cycle due to his success at each stage. Since his head teaching profession started in 2006 on the College of San Diego, Harbaugh has had success at stops at Stanford, Michigan and within the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.

There’s additionally Harbaugh’s Chargers connection: he performed quarterback for the crew for 2 seasons (1999-2000).

As a collegiate coach, Harbaugh has a 144-42 document, profitable three Huge Ten championships and Michigan’s first nationwide title since 1997.

He was 86-25 at Michigan and restored school soccer’s winningest program to relevance after it slipped over a number of seasons below Brady Hoke and Wealthy Rodriguez following the retirement of national-championship profitable coach Lloyd Carr.

The rival Ohio State Buckeyes had an eight-game profitable streak towards the Wolverines till Harbaugh helped them snap the streak in 2021, resulting in their first of three straight Huge Ten titles and School Soccer Playoff appearances.

Following two straight losses within the semifinals, extending Harbaugh’s winless streak in bowl video games to 6, Michigan outlasted Alabama on the Rose Bowl and pulled away from Washington to win the nationwide championship with a school-record 15-0 mark this season.

Harbaugh spent 4 seasons (2011-14) because the coach of the 49ers from 2011 to 2014, and he was named the NFL’s Coach of the 12 months in his first season. He led the 49ers to the Tremendous Bowl XLVII, the place they misplaced to the Baltimore Ravens who had been coached by his brother John.

Harbaugh left the 49ers after the 2014 season with a 44-19-1 common document.

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

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

He could have an identical problem with the Chargers, who completed 5-12 final season and have three playoff wins since 2008. One other activity for Harbaugh might be deciding the development of the Chargers’ roster subsequent season, as this crew is projected to be $27.5 million over the league wage cap, in accordance with ESPN’s roster administration system.

Harbaugh and the Chargers had been linked because the offseason started. Nonetheless, one of many potential challenges for the Harbaugh-Chargers reunion was if proprietor Dean Spanos was prepared to pay Harbaugh a aggressive wage, one that might lure him away from Michigan and different NFL groups.

Whereas the Chargers have signed gamers to record-breaking contracts, the group has developed a status for not paying coaches. The Spanos’ have denied that declare, with crew president John Spanos telling reporters in December that he did not know the place “narratives got here from” and that the crew has by no means had limitations with spending.

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

The Chargers held an intensive search after firing Staley, interviewing a league-high 15 candidates. They started internally with interim head coach Giff Smith and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore earlier than interviewing former Payments defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, Raiders DC Patrick Graham, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, 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 completed his 48-game Chargers tenure with a .500 document, with one playoff look that led to a historic loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Related Press contributed to this report.