Michigan Fans Confident That Jim Harbaugh Will Deliver National Championship

It certainly wasn't as smooth as most expected with he took over, but a majority of Michigan fans seem to believe that Jim Harbaugh will win college football's biggest prize.

After a promising start to his coaching career at Michigan, it soon became apparent that Jim Harbaugh's task of rebuilding the football program into a national championship contender wouldn't happen as quickly as most expected. In fact, it was starting to look like he might not ever achieve the level of success that was expected when he replaced Brady Hoke back in 2015. 

Six years into his tenure, there were serious questions about whether or not Harbaugh was the right man for the head coaching job at Michigan. Although he had three 10-win seasons under his belt, his record against Ohio State was 0-5, his bowl record was 1-4, and the Wolverines had not yet earned a spot to compete for the Big Ten Championship or the College Football Playoff. Although it occurred as the country was grappling with the fallout from the COVID pandemic, Harbaugh's sixth season (2020) resulted in a 2-4 record, including an 0-3 record at home in the Big House. For many, that awful 2020 season signaled the end of the Harbaugh-era in Ann Arbor.

Instead of parting ways, Harbaugh returned to Michigan in 2021 with a restructured contract and Michigan fans are well aware of what happened next. The Wolverines would go on to win 12-games for just the third time in program history, including a dominant win over Ohio State, a Big Ten Championship, and a trip to the College Football Playoff. It was an improbable turn of events from the previous season, and it seemed like Michigan was finally competing at the level that most had expected with Jim Harbaugh at the helm. 

In 2022, Harbaugh and the Wolverines took things up a notch by achieving a perfect 9-0 record in conference play, winning 13 games for the first time in program history, winning their second consecutive Big Ten Championship and earning their second consecutive spot in the College Football Playoff. Although the season ended on a sour note with an upset loss against TCU in the CFP Semifinal, Michigan proved that the 2021 season wasn't just a mirage. Instead, it proved that Jim Harbaugh had finally achieved what everyone expected of him when he came back to Michigan: he built the Wolverines into a national championship contender. 

Now, as Michigan prepares for the 2023 season, the expectation for Harbaugh and the football program is even higher. Out of 2,000 Michigan fans that participated in a recent poll, a whopping 87 percent indicated that they believe Jim Harbaugh will win a national championship at Michigan - and many of them believe that 2023 is Harbaugh's best shot at delivering. 

It's not all that surprising that the expectation is so high for the upcoming season. Offensively, Michigan returns one of college footballs top quarterbacks in JJ McCarthy, features what is arguably the top running back duo in the nation with Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, and boasts an offensive line that has won the Joe Moore award over the last two seasons. Although Michigan lost it's top two receiving targets in WR Ronnie Bell and TE Luke Schoonmaker, guys like Roman Wilson, Cornelius Johnson, Darrius Clemons, Tyler Morris, and Colston Loveland should be more than enough to make up for the lost production. 

Defensively, the Wolverines are pretty much set at every single position on the field - with a slight question mark at one of the corner positions. Outside of that, the Wolverines return experienced players like DB's Mike Sainristil, Rod Moore, RJ Moten, and Makari Paige, DL's Kris Jenkins and Rayshaun Benny, LB's Michael Barrett and Junior Colson, and edge rushers Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor. Second-year defensive coordinator Jessie Minter will have no shortage of talent to work with in what should once again be one of the nations top defensive units. 

With all of that being said, the confidence-level surrounding the football program in Ann Arbor is about as high as it's ever been, and Jim Harbaugh is the driving force behind all of it. Entering his ninth season as head coach, there's no question that Harbaugh's rebuild is complete, all of the necessary pieces are in place, and that a national championship is well within reach.