Jim Harbaugh - Should he leave Stanford?

[skipster63]

As well as Stanford is playing, there were lots of empty seats at the Oregon State game. If you cannot fill the seats when you are 11-1 at home and you have Harbaugh, then c'mon man. Stanford is what it is. I would anticipate Jim taking the Michigan job or some glamorous job when it becomes available. The limitations imposed given the academic requirements in the school does pose some limitations for Jim.

Here's an example. I live in Coppell, TX. We have a little back who is a very good HS RB but would not survive in the SEC. He is about as good as he will get. Stanford and Notre Dame were after him because he's a smart kid. After Stanford and Notre Dame, the teams after him were Air Force, Texas Tech, etc. Not Texas. Not Oklahoma. Not LSU. So you have to do your best with that kind of talent on the field and that does limit you somewhat.

Just think what Harbaugh could do somewhere else without those limitations. I think he goes when the Michigan job opens up. Despite anything he has said, he would be welcome and all of forgiven and forgotten.

 

[GreatDanish]

1) will that last? Might but when USC comes back, and they will under another coach, will Stanford be able to hang with them?
2) Palo Alto is a great town. I spend a lot of time there. That said the beach is not exactly next door, about 45min away, and the water is cold. This is not Miami
3) 1.25 Million is a lot of Money, but not in Palo Alto where $1M get's you a 3 Bedroom 1 Bath 1100 Sq Ft house. 1.25M in Palo Alto is like 700K in Tuscaloosa.
4) I agree he would be there for life
5) Stanford has pretty high academic standards so it's not like he can recruit nationwide for anyone

Based on all the above I would take a job at a bigger school in a cheaper town or push for $3m a year at Stanford, which I do not think they will pay

j

Good responses. I don't disagree with anything, really, just that we're looking at things differently.
1. I think USC is looking at a minimum of 5 years unable to compete with Stanford, assuming Harbaugh stays. Stanford will remain the top program in California throughout those 5 years. If you win the state of California, there's a good chance you will compete for the Pac-10 title.
2. I'm 8 hours from the beach, so 45 minutes is "next door" to me. That's hardly across town in a big city. And, maybe this is just me. But, I love the beach, but I hate the water. I like running on the beach or just sitting and reading. He could take the misses for a walk on the beach every week if he wanted. So, water temperature would mean nothing, but living near the beach would be great.
3. Yep, but as I said, his pay will go up. And, I think the difference in pay is worth the job security and the stature he has at Stanford. Rich Rod made more at Michigan than he did at WVU. But, he could have retired at WVU, and now he's facing unemployment. Dan Hawkins made more at Colorado than he made at Boise, but he's now unemployed, and had he stayed at Boise, he'd probably have a job for life. He's still making good money.
4. Yep.
5. He can't recruit anyone, but he can recruit everywhere. He can still recruit very good athletes, and just about all of them will have good heads on their shoulders. He's got 8 four-star athletes committed for 2011, and only 2 from California.

And, yeah, I see people saying he might just want another challenge, but if I am him, I am strongly considering just staying put at Stanford. But, he won't. He'll jump sooner or later. He might have an opportunity to jump the NFL before too long. No way he chooses Ann Arbor.

 

[RJ YellowHammer]

And, yeah, I see people saying he might just want another challenge, but if I am him, I am strongly considering just staying put at Stanford. But, he won't. He'll jump sooner or later. He might have an opportunity to jump the NFL before too long. No way he chooses Ann Arbor.

It depends on what he values. If he wants to be the 800 lb Gorilla that smacks people around and puts 12 kids a year in the NFL, he'll leave. If he wants to coach the best football on the planet, he'll leave for the NFL. If he values getting to coach kids, play good football, and have unlimited job security barring a scandal, he'll stay at Stanford.

 

[Braveheart]

I too, don't think he goes to Michigan. I know he's a Michigan alum but he really burned some bridges with his spat he got into with them 1-2 years ago. I hope he doesn't go to the NFL. I've seen WAY too many good college coaches think they can make the transition from college to the NFL and few seem to make it.

 

[tidefanbeezer]

I don't think Stanford has to worry about Harbaugh leaving for another NCAA school. He will most likely leave for the NFL.