Joel Klatt changes stance on potential NFL return for Jim Harbaugh

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt was at one point sure that Jim Harbaugh would stay at Michigan. Now, it’s a little murky regarding a potential NFL return.

Harbaugh flirted with the pros over the last couple of years but managed to stay in Ann Arbor. With another great team and national title potential, he could be focus on that a little more as he returns to the sidelines.

But with two separate suspensions this season and maybe more punishment down the road, Klatt might see Harbaugh in the NFL again.

“Two weeks ago, I would have said no, like, he’s gonna be at Michigan,” Klatt said on The Herd. “Now, I’m not as sure. The week of the Maryland game was a real point of demarcation, you know, where the hearing was dropped, we’re gonna go ahead and Jim’s going to serve the three game suspension, we’re going to fire this linebacker coach. 

“And even though they didn’t do this, there was some like almost an acknowledgment or admission that like, okay, my hand in the cookie jar, this is the way it’s gonna go. He doesn’t feel that that’s the case.” 

Jim Harbaugh returning to NFL after all?

Klatt cited a personal example with Harbaugh to believe that the Michigan coach could leave the aforementioned NCAA nonsense behind. Basically, it details back to Harbaugh saying he was unaware of the sign stealing operation.

“You know, Jim, to his credit, and I can only go by personal experience, Jim Harbaugh has never lied to me,” Klatt said. Coaches lie to me all the time …  about availability of players, you know, they’ll talk bad about players. I have a very good sense of guys that I feel like have a really high integrity and guys that I think will do anything. By the way, this is not a knock. That’s just kind of what it is in every industry. 

“I can only go by my personal dealings with guys. There are a lot of coaches that have never lied to me and so I trust them. Jim Harbaugh has never lied to me in any meeting that I’ve ever been in. He has told me: ‘I didn’t know.’ What am I supposed to be like? Well, of course you did. Well, he tells me he didn’t. And I have no other recourse other than to believe him because of our history together.”

Will all of the noise surrounding Harbaugh, the NFL, maybe some more punishment, it wouldn’t be surprising. Michigan fans will hold their collective breath through the college football postseason.