Jim Harbaugh reveals when he knew Michigan was winning the national championship

Jim Harbaugh revealed the moment when he knew Michigan would win the national championship last year.

Now with the Los Angeles Chargers, Harbaugh’s new quest is to finally win a Super Bowl. But he had his best Michigan team in 2023, going 15-0 and dominating Washington in the final game of the season.

Harbaugh said it didn’t hit him until victory formation, but there was a moment in the game where he knew it would go Michigan’s way.

“My goal is that, you know, we get ahead, we stay ahead, we get so far ahead that I can’t screw it up,” Harbaugh said on Pardon My Take. “And I guess Mike Sainristil picked off that pass and then and returned it, you know, 50 yards. We’re gonna win this, if we don’t screw it up. If we don’t give our kickoff return, you know, and that kind of thing. You’d never you never really feel that until your team has taken a knee in victory you know, but somewhere along the line I felt it. It’s one of those feelings you know, that’s it’s not gonna wash off in the shower. That stays with you.”

Late in the fourth quarter, Michigan led Washington 27-13. Then, Sainristil picked off Michael Penix Jr., taking it 81 yards actually, all the way down to the Huskies’ eight yard line.

The Wolverines punched it in two plays later to go up 34-13, which ended up being the final score. Harbaugh knew it was in the bag at that point.

Jim Harbaugh to serve as honorary captain for Michigan

Harbaugh will be the honorary captain for the Aug. 31 opener. The Wolverines host Fresno State for a 7:30 p.m. EST kickoff to start the season.

This decision was revealed by athletic director Warde Manuel during a recent interview on a podcast. The Ann Arbor News first reported Manuel’s tidbit about Harbaugh.

Harbaugh was given a four-year show-cause and a one-year suspension by the NCAA recently for his lack of cooperation in an investigation into alleged violations during his tenure at Michigan. He has pushed back against the charges publicly, but the matter is mostly a moot point unless Harbaugh ever decides he wants to coach in college again.

There is still an ongoing investigation into Michigan and Connor Stalions’ impermissible scouting operation.

And while Harbaugh, as the head coach during that time, is certainly a major piece to the puzzle of what happened in running afoul of the NCAA, also led Michigan to heights on the field it hasn’t attained in decades.