Michigan has made it clear it wants Jim Harbaugh as its next head football coach, and the school is willing to spend big money to make that happen.
Michigan officials have offered Harbaugh a six-year deal worth $48 million to come back to Ann Arbor, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. Such a contract would make Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in college football at $8 million per season — or $1 million more per season than Alabama's Nick Saban.
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Rapoport reported Michigan increased its offer after Harbaugh previously turned down his alma mater.
Harbaugh earns a base salary of $5 million per season as the 49ers' head coach. He reportedly told Michigan officials earlier this month he preferred to remain an NFL coach, although his prospects in the league are murky. While Harbaugh is 43-18-1 in four seasons at the 49ers’ helm, the team was eliminated from playoff contention last week and Harbaugh is widely expected to be fired after the season.
The 50-year-old Harbaugh was a Heisman Trophy finalist as a quarterback for the Wolverines in the mid-1980s. Bringing the former player back to Ann Arbor has energized a fan base that suffered through a 5-7 season in 2014, ending in the dismissal of coach Brady Hoke.
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