I’m not looking to rub any salt into the open wounds of Michigan fans after the team’s latest embarrassment yesterday when they lost 27-24 at home to a Michigan State team coming off a 38-27 loss to Rutgers in week one. What I am looking to do though is remind Wolverine fans exactly what you’re getting for your money. Also, any Michigan fans out there still holding out hope that Jim Harbaugh is going to become the head coach we all thought he was going to be when he first arrived in Ann Arbor back in 2015 it’s time to abandon that bullshit right now.
The simple and egregious fact coupled with the fact that Jim Harbaugh has done absolutely nothing while at Michigan is he is the highest-paid state employee in Michigan taking in a total of $7.5 million annually. It gets worse though, not only is Jim Harbaugh raking in more cash than anyone else on the state payroll, he’s one of the highest-paid state employees in the entire country.
That’s right, Jim Harbaugh who’s been good for nothing except getting embarrassed by Ohio State year-in and year-out and losing to Michigan State on a semi-consistent basis is the FOURTH highest-paid state employee in the entire United States.
And it’s not like Harbaugh is some outlier. His $7.5 million dollar salary ties him for that fourth spot with Texas head coach Jimbo Fisher. Ahead of Harbaugh is Dabo Swinney of Clemson (South Carolina) and Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari who each makes $9.3 million and Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban who makes $8.9 million.
So where does this leave us?
Fans need to be vocal. Currently, Harbaugh is signed through 2021 but we’re not going to have the rest of this season and next to decide what we’re going to do with our grossly overpaid and overrated head coach. Michigan is going to have to decide by the end of this season whether Harbaugh will be brought back. Simply stated, NO head coach, especially a high profile one like Harbaugh coaches in the final year of their contract unless they’re retiring or it’s been determined they’re already leaving for something else.
And it’s not like Harbaugh is going to take less money to stay at Michigan.
Harbaugh will still be pursued and will still find a job, somewhere, probably in the NFL where the shelf life for head coaches is short and the door is constantly revolving.
In any sense though, it’s time to move on. And it’s time to make that decision now.