Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, who just won a college football national title with the Michigan Wolverines, will take over, the franchise has confirmed to Deadline.
After two seasons away, Harbaugh rejoins a squad for which he was a quarterback.
The Chargers and Harbaugh have reached a five-year agreement, according to sources who spoke to ESPN. For the Chargers, whose tenure in Los Angeles hasn’t exactly been stellar, the appointment is something of a coup. Harbaugh is a winner at Stanford, with the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, and at Michigan.
With three Big Ten titles and Michigan’s first national title since 1997 this past season, Harbaugh has a 144-42 record (86-25 at Michigan) in his collegiate coaching career.
Harbaugh has some baggage to carry. He was suspended for two sets of three games last season at Michigan; he missed the first set due to suspected recruiting infractions and the last three games due to a sign-stealing incident.
From 2011 to 2014, Harbaugh was the 49ers’ head coach for four seasons. After leading the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII, where they were defeated by his brother John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens, he was named NFL Coach of the Year in his rookie campaign.
With just three playoff victories since 2008, the Chargers ended 5-12 in the most recent season. The team’s estimated salary over the league wage cap for the upcoming season is $27.5 million, which means some difficult decisions regarding experienced stars will need to be made. The Chargers are ranked 18th in the league by Sportico, with a $4.63 billion valuation.
Be the first to comment