Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Were Discussing Highest-Paid CFB HC Contract Pre-Chargers Move

Jim Harbaugh is off to the NFL, agreeing to become the Los Angeles Chargers' head coach on Wednesday. Had he stayed at Michigan, though, it reportedly would have been a very lucrative decision in its own right.

"We have been discussing a new contract that would make Jim the highest paid coach in college football," Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel told reporters in the wake of Harbaugh's departure to the NFL. "In the end, he wanted to explore and ultimately decided to pursue a return to coaching in the NFL."

Manuel added that Harbaugh has "always been extremely upfront with his communication regarding NFL opportunities and has been helpful with this transition in leadership. We had a great conversation tonight when he informed me of this decision to return to the NFL and offered his assistance in helping identify the needs for the program moving forward."

Michigan offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Sherrone Moore is widely believed to be the most likely replacement for Harbaugh. He stepped into the interim head coaching role across four games this season due to a pair of Harbaugh suspensions and was undefeated in those games.

Manuel offered what sounded like strong foreshadowing for Moore's eventual promotion on Wednesday night.

"We are working quickly to hire the next head coach for the program and will do everything possible to keep this current staff and team together," he said.

Replacing Harbaugh is no small task, though. He went 89-25 with the Wolverines across his nine seasons, leading the team to three straight Big Ten titles, three straight berths in the College Football Playoff and a national championship this past season.

Perhaps most importantly, he finally ended the team's horrid run against hated rival Ohio State. He lost his first five games in the rivalry—part of an eight-game losing streak against the Buckeyes—before Michigan triumphed in each of the past three years.

One positive for Michigan fans is that it was Moore, and not Harbaugh, who coached the Wolverines during this year's win in the annual rivalry game. That—paired with the chance to detach the program from the various controversies and investigations during the Harbaugh era—should make Michigan's fresh start a bit easier to stomach in Ann Arbor.