Harbaugh will return to take a bow for his nine-year tenure at some point.
Michigan formally introduced Sherrone Moore as its new head football coach on Saturday, days after Jim Harbaugh left for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Athletic director Warde Manuel said that Moore aced his unplanned audition for the job, filling in as interim coach for four games while Jim Harbaugh served suspensions self-imposed by Michigan and levied by the Big Ten. Moore asserted that although he’s replacing Harbaugh, he won’t try to be Harbaugh in terms of leadership style.
However, as Michigan moves on to a new era, the program intends to embrace Harbaugh’s legacy in Ann Arbor. While thanking the former Wolverines quarterback for his nine seasons as head coach, Manuel said that he and Moore want to invite Harbaugh back as an honorary captain for a game next season if the Chargers’ schedule allows for it.
“If the timing is right,” Manuel said, “Sherrone and I would like to have him come back as a captain for the game this year if the byes work out and as he says, take a long and slow bow in front of all the fans.”
Warde Manuel thanked Jim Harbaugh for his nine years in Ann Arbor today.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 27, 2024
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Whether it’s to take that bow or allow Wolverines fans to say their goodbyes, Harbaugh hasn’t left for Los Angeles quietly.
The coach flew back to Michigan on a commercial flight Thursday night, talking to fans and posing for pictures at Detroit Metro Airport after getting back from the West Coast, as reported by the Detroit News’s Angelique Chengelis. He spoke to the Michigan players about his decision on Friday.
Whether or not Harbaugh will be able to serve as an honorary captain next season should be determined when the NFL and its teams announce the schedules in May.
