Kirk Herbstreit explains why he doesn't want to see Jim Harbaugh leave Michigan for NFL

As Michigan gets ready for the national championship against Washington, it’s hard to miss the noise around Jim Harbaugh and the NFL. Rumors continue to swirl about a possible return to the league as the Wolverines look to end three straight College Football Playoff appearances with a title.

Harbaugh hasn’t yet commented on what the future would hold — although, as he said, he “hopes” to have a future. But there are differing opinions about what next week cold hold for him and the Michigan program.

If ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit has his way, Harbaugh would be back in Ann Arbor next season. However, he pointed out, you never really know what Harbaugh will do because he marches to the beat of his own drum.

“I don’t think anyone can ever climb into his mind this time of year,” Herbstreit said on The Rich Eisen Show. “I mean, every year, it seems that there are some kind of rumors that he’s headed back to the NFL. Maybe at one point, it’ll become true. Maybe if he climbs the mountain here this year with this team because he has a special group, maybe this will be the end.

“As a college football fan, I hope not. I mean, I love him being in college. I think he he adds to the storylines every single year. It seems that he’s very polarizing — people love him or hate him. He has a very unique personality, as far as what he shows publicly. I get to know him … you see a different side. It’s like Bill Belichick. People think Bill Belichick is the guy that stands at the podium or Nick Saban is the guy that stands at the podium, and then you get around him and get to know him and you’re like, ‘Wow, you’re really good guy. I really like hanging out with this guy.’ But they choose not to show, necessarily, that guy all the time when they’re at a podium. So I like Jim. I always have.”

Jim Harbaugh’s NFL resume is perhaps the most impressive for a college coach. He had a 44-19-1 record with the San Francisco 49ers and appeared in a Super Bowl — which he lost to his brother John Harbaugh and his Baltimore Ravens. There have been NFL rumors the last couple offseasons, and there’s sure to be no shortage of chatter after Monday’s game, regardless of the outcome.

Kirk Herbstreit: What Jim Harbaugh created at Michigan should be the example for college football programs going forward

When Jim Harbaugh returned to Michigan, the sense was he wanted to restore his alma mater to greatness. Prior to his arrival, the Wolverines only had one 10-win season since Lloyd Carr’s departure in 2007. Since Harbaugh took over in 2015, Michigan has won 10 games six times, and he became the first coach to win ever three outright Big Ten titles this year.

But the way Harbaugh built the program, Herbstreit said, could be a blueprint for the future. In the era of NIL and the transfer portal, he hinted players might be chasing money instead of tradition. While the talent is important, Michigan’s ground-and-pound style is something that stands out in the modern game.

In fact, Herbstreit compared it to the way the 49ers operate in the modern NFL. However, as he pointed out, he’s not putting the talent level with San Francisco’s because of how loaded that roster is.

“I think what he’s created at Michigan … it reminds me of San Francisco in that, you look at Brock Purdy and he wasn’t the first pick overall, but man, does he fit in perfectly with what they do offensively?” Herbstreit said. “And I know [Christian] McCaffrey’s a freak and [Brandon] Aiyuk and they have really, really good players, George Kittle. But I just love the way they play the game. In this era of spread and 11 personnel and receivers getting out in space, they can do that. But they prefer to pound you into oblivion and then go play-action off of that. And Michigan does it kind of the old-fashioned way, and I’m an old fashioned guy, so I like that they play good defense.

“I like that they run the football, I like that they get into two tight ends and they get a fullback in Max Bredeson that knocks you out. Like, I like that style of football. I think the margin of error with that style — now, you’ve got to hit on your linemen, you’ve got to hit on your tight ends. You need a cerebral quarterback that’s going to distribute, make good decisions and if he’s got some athletic ability to get away from some trouble, that helps. But I think their brand of football, in this day and age of having to bribe high school, five-star receivers, I’d rather go this route, personally. I’d rather go play this brand of football. That’s the route I would go if you could.”