John Harbaugh arrives at national championship, surprises brother Jim on sideline

With his brother Jim coaching in the College Football Playoff national championship, John Harbaugh and some of the Baltimore Ravens staff planned to be there. However, due to rough weather in Houston, their flight got delayed — meaning they missed kickoff.

It still made for quite a moment on the sideline.

The ESPN cameras caught the moment John Harbaugh arrived, tapping Jim on the shoulder between plays while Michigan was on offense. While he missed an exciting start for the Wolverines, Jim Harbaugh sure seemed happy to see his brother at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh surprised his brother, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, on the sideline during the National Championship game. pic.twitter.com/9LBYYBF7zW

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) January 9, 2024

Michigan got out to a lightning fast start to the game as Donovan Edwards ran in a 41-yard touchdown to put the Wolverines on top 7-0. He again found pay dirt on his second carry — a 48-yarder — to make it a two-score game. A field goal made it a 17-3 Michigan lead at the start of the second quarter.

It’s been quite the last few months for the Harbaugh brothers. John’s Baltimore Ravens have the best record in the NFL and enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, securing a bye. Led by MVP candidate Lamar Jackson, the Ravens will take on the worst remaining seed in the AFC Divisional Round.

As for Jim, Michigan is looking to complete a perfect 15-0 season and bring home a national championship for the first time since 1997. This is the Wolverines’ third straight College Football Playoff appearance, but their first time making the title game.

Of course, the question of whether Jim Harbaugh will join John in the NFL is another topic of conversation.

Ahead of kickoff, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel shared where things stand with Harbaugh, and regardless of the outcome of Monday’s game, Harbaugh could at least flirt with an NFL return once again.

“I don’t think the result really matters much in terms of Harbaugh’s next steps,” Thamel told Jess Sims on College Football Live. “I think all signals show that Harbaugh is going to explore the NFL, as he has the last two seasons. Remember, on Signing Day two years ago, he interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings. Last year, he went deep with the Broncos before deciding to come back to Michigan. Part of that, Jess, was he knew what kind of team he had coming back this year.

“So again, by hiring Don Yee, the NFL agent as Adam has reported, there’s an expectation that Harbaugh dances the dance again with the NFL. Whether or not he goes, and I think Adam could speak to this, I think it’s more NFL-dependent than Jim Harbaugh-decision-dependent.”