Where Michigan's Jim Harbaugh stands in Sporting News' ranking of top college head coaches
Michigan Wolverines head football coach Jim Harbaugh‘s stock had never been lower last offseason. The Maize and Blue went 2-4 in 2020 and Harbaugh had his base pay slashed in half. He was perceived to be on the ‘hot seat’ entering the 2021 campaign, and with his back against the wall, went out and won the 2021 Big Ten championship.
Now, Harbaugh, who received interest from NFL teams during this past winter’s coaching carousal, is regarded as one of the top college football head coaches once again. Sporting News’ Bill Bender released his annual rankings of every coach from 1-131, which had Harbaugh checking in No. 9. That’s a rise of six spots from his No. 15 standing last offseason.
Harbaugh is 90-45 overall as a college head coach and 61-24 during his seven years at Michigan. In Ann Arbor, he’s posted four 10-win campaigns — in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2021 — including last year’s 12-victory season that included a College Football Playoff berth. Michigan has won 12 games just three times during its storied history.
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The Michigan coach was hired back in December of 2014 after four years with the San Francisco 49ers, tasked with returning the Wolverines to prominence. It took longer than many expected, especially against Ohio State, with his first win against the Buckeyes coming in year seven, but he’s ultimately gotten the sport’s all-time winningest program back to where many believe they belong — competing for the national championship.
“Harbaugh led Michigan to its first victory against Ohio State since 2011 and the program’s first Big Ten championship since 2004 before a reality check in the CFP against Georgia,” Bender wrote. “Harbaugh’s tenure in Ann Arbor has been highly-scrutinized, but he’s maintained a [71.8] winning percentage. That ranks eighth among Power 5 programs since 2015.”
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Harbaugh’s 71.8 winning percentage ranks sixth in Michigan history among head coaches who held the job for at least five seasons, trailing Fielding H. Yost (.833), Fritz Crisler (.806), Bo Schembechler (.796), Gary Moeller (.758) and Lloyd Carr (.753). Harbaugh is the eighth-longest tenured head coach out of the 20 in program history.
Alabama‘s Nick Saban, a seven-time national champion, unsurprisingly topped the list, followed by Clemson‘s Dabo Swinney, Georgia‘s Kirby Smart, Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Cincinnati‘s Luke Fickell in that order to round out the top five. LSU‘s Brian Kelly (No. 6), USC’s Lincoln Riley (seventh) and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher (eighth) were the three others ahead of the Michigan coach. Utah‘s Kyle Wittingham slotted 10th, just behind Harbaugh.
Harbaugh and Day were the only two Big Ten coaches in the top 10, but others from the conference are still highly regarded. Iowa‘s Kirk Ferentz slotted No. 13, Penn State‘s James Franklin checked in No. 17 and Wisconsin‘s Paul Chryst ranked No. 18. Two others landed in the top 25 — Minnesota‘s P.J. Fleck at No. 21 and Michigan State‘s Mel Tucker at No. 22.
