Podcast: Jim Harbaugh interviews with two NFL teams, next steps if he leaves, basketball, more

On this episode of The Wolverine Podcast, Clayton Sayfie and Anthony Broome discuss Michigan Wolverines football head coach Jim Harbaugh interviewing for head-coaching openings for the Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons, next steps should he leave and more.

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Sayfie and Broome discussed Harbaugh’s reported demands in his potential contract extension for Michigan, which include power taken away from the athletic director should it be under consideration that the coach could be fired for cause.

“I think there’s a scenario that could play out where Michigan could give him everything that he could possibly want, and he could still go to the NFL to pursue a different goal — which is totally fine, by the way,” Sayfie said. “But I also think that Michigan, if you’re looking at it from their perspective, has to do everything they possibly can to keep him, because he is one of the most important people at the entire university, on the entire campus, not just in the athletic department.

“And he has leverage right now. So yeah, it might suck to give in a little bit on what his demands are, but if it ups the percentage that you keep him by two percent or 10 percent or 40 percent — whatever that percentage is — then I think you have to do it because he’s just that important. Coaches like this don’t just grow on trees.

“And Michigan fans have seen how bad it can get. I don’t think it would be that without him — I actually don’t think it would be because he has set them up in a really good spot — but there are no guarantees. And really, the closest thing there is to a guarantee that you’re going to be a really high level program is to keep Jim Harbaugh.”

“Make no mistake about it — I think if it does wind up being Sherrone Moore [as Michigan’s replacement for Harbaugh, should he leave], they are set up extremely well. It’s a 12-team playoff now; I think the margin for error is so much greater, especially now that you’re playing in a conference that is loaded and you will get the benefit of the doubt versus the ACC if you’re sitting there at 9-3 or 10-2 or what have you. But when you have one of the best head coaches — I mean, maybe the best head coach in Michigan history. We could start having that conversation, too. Not this show, but at another time. There are a lot of athletic departments around the country at these football-centric schools, a lot of football coaches are essentially the de facto athletic director, they do have more power there.”