University of Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh will interview in Minnesota Wednesday for the Vikings’ job to replace Mike Zimmer. That meeting became public news earlier in the week and indicates how serious Harbaugh is about the Vikings.
“Serious? I don’t know why if you’re the head coach at Michigan—I don’t know why you would do it (the interview) unless you had the job.”
Those words are from former University of Minnesota head coach Glen Mason who spoke with Sports Headliners this morning. Mason spent 19 seasons successfully leading programs at Kansas and Minnesota and was an authoritative voice for years on the Big Ten Network. He said Harbaugh’s interest in the Vikings comes with “ramifications” back in Ann Arbor—involving colleagues and bosses, the Wolverines’ fan base and high school recruits (Wednesday is college football National Signing Day).
All of it sends a message.
To Mason, the interview indicates “you want the job, you want to leave Michigan.” Harbaugh reportedly had an exploratory phone interview with the Vikings’ leadership last Saturday. It’s more than a good guess the conversation and details that followed have been so favorable Harbaugh is willing to risk his reputation with the Michigan job to travel here tomorrow.
Perhaps to sign an already agreed upon deal with the Vikings.
“Jim Harbaugh is a pretty smart guy,” Mason said. “You wouldn’t think that he would leave himself vulnerable there (at Michigan) unless he thought he was at least going to be offered the job. Why would you take that risk?”
Harbaugh gives up a lot of credibility if he returns to Michigan, his alma mater. “I think you would have a heck of a sales job going back to Ann Arbor,” Mason said.
The other finalists for the Vikings’ job reportedly are Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell and Giants defensive coordinator Todd Graham. Morris and Harbaugh are the candidates with previous NFL head coaching experience. Morris was coach of the Bucs from 2009-2011 and was the league’s youngest head man during his first season.
O’Connell is in his second season with the Super Bowl-bound Rams. He was an assistant with the Washington Football Team before joining the Rams and he had a five-year NFL career as a quarterback (ending in 2012). Graham has more than 10 years of pro coaching experience and was a recent candidate for the Giants’ head job, since filled.
Harbaugh, 58, has a coaching resume that is among the most extensive and accomplished in the country. For starters, he is the only coach ever to lead teams to the Super Bowl and the FBS college football playoffs.
As head coach of the NFL 49ers from 2011-2014, he led teams to three NFC championship games. He had an overall record of 49-22-1 and was 5-3 in the postseason including a Super Bowl loss to his brother John Harbaugh of the Ravens.
Harbaugh’s seven-year record at Michigan is 61-24 and is among the best in school history. Prior to the 49ers, he was a young whiz as head coach at Stanford and San Diego. “His resume is pretty darn impressive,” Mason said.
Harbaugh also brings credibility because of his playing career as an All-American quarterback at Michigan and his on-field accomplishments with various teams including the Bears and Colts. Both his coaching and playing background could be advantageous in teaching and motivating Vikings players.
Downside? Harbaugh has a reputation for being a stern boss and Zimmer had that label, too. How would Harbaugh’s style go down with Viking players? Difficult to predict but there will be questions about every coach going into a new job, regardless of accomplishments.
Don’t discount Harbaugh’s ability to adapt, though, and learn from his stops at Michigan, the 49ers and elsewhere. “I am sure he’s had time to reflect on the things that he did real well… (and) things that he would do differently,” Mason said.