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49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh Offered $48 Million Deal To Go To Michigan

By Jonathan Franks
Published on: 14:03 PST, Dec 17, 2014

Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, now has 48 million reasons to leave the NFL and return to coaching college football.

Daily News reports that Jim Harbaugh has been offered a 6-year, $48 million deal to return to his alma mater, University of Michigan, as the head coach.

After experiencing a losing season with a 5-7 record, Michigan head coach Brady Hoke lost his job and left the program with an overall record of 31-20.

If Jim Harbaugh decided to take the job and accept the terms of the deal with the University of Michigan, it would not be his first time as a college football coach.

Harbaugh shined as a coach at Stanford University from 2007 and 2011. Along with winning the Orange Bowl in 2011, Harbaugh was also known for recruiting future NFL star Andrew Luck during his time at Stanford.

Once Jim Harbaugh made the transition from college to the NFL football field, he was able to lead the San Francisco 49ers to three consecutive NFC title games.

Rumors and speculation have been circulating for weeks now about whether or not Jim Harbaugh will remain with the 49ers for very much longer.

The New York Jets and Oakland Raiders are two teams that keep popping up in conversations when it comes to teams that are at least interested in pursuing Jim Harbaugh — especially since the Jets will likely fire their current head coach (Rex Ryan) in the off-season.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, there are even reports claiming that Harbaugh will be traded to another team in exchange for a draft pick. Even though he has never coached at the University of Michigan before, Jim Harbaugh has a solid history with the school as an athlete. As a star athlete and UMich student, Jim Harbaugh shined during his years of playing under coach Bo Schembechler. In addition to leading the Wolverines straight to the Rose Bowl, Harbaugh was also a Heisman Trophy finalist.

If Jim decides to coach his alma mater instead of remain in the NFL, he will actually be able to make history by becoming the highest paid college football coach with an annual salary of $8 million. (Nick Saban from the University of Alabama currently holds that title by making more than $7 million a year.)

Harbaugh would also have his work cut out for him at the University of Michigan — especially since he would be the 3rd coach in 7 seasons to try to have a successful run with the team.

As of right now, Jim Harbaugh has not officially confirmed his future coaching plans.

[Image Credit: Ann Arbor]

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