The Walmart Wolverine: Michigan Officially Hires Jim Harbaugh

Posted onAuthorGarrett Fishaw

The wait is over and the day is here. No, not Christmas. Today is the day every Michigan football fan has been hoping for and dreaming about for years….

Michigan has hired Jim Harbaugh to be the 20th head coach in Wolverine football history. 

And it\’s been done for a long time (even though most NFL insiders won\’t believe it until he\’s coaching the Spring Game):

Harbaugh took the Michigan job on December 22nd. It is over. It has been over. NFL reporters continue to make fools of themselves.

— mgoblog (@mgoblog) December 29, 2014

In his college coaching career, Harbaugh turned around an unknown University of San Diego. He led them to a 29-6 record in his three years, including two conference championships.

After that, he took over a putrid Stanford Cardinal program, who was coming off a 1-11 season in 2006, that has been basically irrelevant since 2001. While he didn\’t turn them around overnight, he did increase his win total every year and led them to a 12-1 Orange Bowl championship season in 2010.

There wasn\’t a better coach in the NFL over the past 4 years than Jim Harbaugh, who led an underachieving 49ers franchise to three straight NFC championships, one Super Bowl appearance and 44 wins while fighting with the front office just about every day.

So, if his track record means anything, expect Harbaugh to turn the Wolverines into a Big Ten contender and even a CFB Playoff contender in 2-3 years.

What will help that dream come to fruition is his recruiting. And tons of top recruits in 2015 and 2016 chimed in that they will now be very interested in Michigan moving forward thanks to this hire.

Overwhelming consensus from recruits here at #UAALLAMERICA is that #Harbaugh would be home-run recruiting hire for #Michigan. They\’re right.

— Jeremy Crabtree (@jeremycrabtree) December 29, 2014

Jim Harbaugh\’s name alone has national recruiting appeal, success in the NFL and NCAA will attract recruits immediately. Visits will be key — Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) December 29, 2014

As for those pesky OSU and MSU fans who won\’t believe he\’ll be successful until they see it, just about every reporter knows how big this hire is, and ESPN\’s Mike Greenberg has said it best:

No hire that gets made this month will be as impactful as Harbaugh to #Michigan. That\’s a grand slam home run.

— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) December 29, 2014

Jim Harbaugh did the best coaching in the NFL the last four years. He\’ll have #Michigan in the national picture in the blink of an eye.

— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) December 29, 2014

Harbaugh will be officially announced at noon on December 30th and the party will continue into the night where he is expected to speak at halftime of the basketball game against Illinois.

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So, get the popcorn and khakis ready, Walmart. Jim Harbaugh is coming home to Ann Arbor.

Garrett Fishaw
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