REPORT: Panthers Owner Has Spoken with Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh

Will David Tepper hire another college coach?

Steve Wilks took the Panthers from 1-4 to two wins away from winning the NFC South and hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2016. The locker room has voiced their support for Wilks to become the team's next head coach but it's not as easy as removing the interim tag.

Per NFL rules, organizations with a head coaching vacancy are required to interview two external minority candidates before making a hire. And yes, this rule still applies even if the Panthers wanted to officially promote Wilks.

After swinging and missing on Matt Rhule, this is an important hire for team owner David Tepper. There's no hiding that. Although the locker room and much of the fan base believes Wilks is the right guy for the organization, Tepper is going to examine all possible options. And yes, that includes the college level as well.

According to Will Kunkel of Charlotte Sports Live, Tepper and current Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh have had a conversation about the head coaching vacancy. Harbaugh, 59, has made the jump from college to the NFL once already going from Stanford to the San Francisco 49ers. In his four years as the head Niner, Harbaugh compiled a 44-19 record and took the organization to its first Super Bowl since 1994.

After an 8-8 season in 2014, Harbaugh made the decision to leave the NFL and become the head coach of his alma mater, Michigan. In eight years on the job in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh has won 74% of his games with a 74-25 record, including back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances.

Over the last couple of years, there has been some speculation that Harbaugh would like to return to the NFL. If the right situation comes along, he might just make that jump once again.

When Tepper made the decision to fire Matt Rhule back in early October, Tepper was asked if he would ever consider hiring another college coach.

"I'd like to see what Steve Wilks does, quite frankly. I'm not going to generally rule that out. On the other hand, there is a history of successful coaches in the NFL. You can look it up. Every fan can look it up. I'm aware of what that is and I have to be cognizant and pay attention to that."

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