It’s been a hectic season for Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh – But it’s also been an extremely rewarding one, both on and off the field.
The Wolverines enter the College Football Playoff as the favorites to win the national championship. They will face Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide on New Years Day for the right to play in the title game against the winner of Texas and Washington.
In a development that surprises no one, Harbaugh has reportedly raked in an enormous financial sum this season, thanks to him hitting performance bonuses on top of his substantial base salary.
According to Aaron McMann of MLive, Harbaugh’s salary crossed the eight-figure mark for the second consecutive year.
Harbaugh’s impressive season earnings have been boosted significantly by performance bonuses, exceeding $2 million. His base salary for the year stood at $7.2 million.
The last 10 days netted Jim Harbaugh a cool $2 million in contract bonuses, pushing his pay north of $10M for a second straight year. https://t.co/C2NkBynaJ2
— Aaron McMann | MLive Media Group (@AaronMcMann) December 5, 2023
Michigan rewarded Harbaugh with $500,000 for clinching the Big Ten East title, an additional $500,000 for guiding the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff, and $1 million more for winning the Big Ten championship.
Should Michigan beat Alabama in the upcoming Playoff semifinals, Harbaugh stands to gain another substantial bonus of $1 million.
Other college football coaches coasting past the eight-figure mark include Alabama’s Nick Saban ($11.4 million), Clemson’s Dabo Swinney ($10.9 million), Georgia’s Kirby Smart ($10.7 million) and Ohio State’s Ryan Day ($10.3 million).
We’ll find out what the exact figure for Harbaugh is after the season. After all, the Wolverines still have some heavy-lifting to do.
We’ll also soon find out where things stand with the extension that’s reportedly in the works for Harbaugh … According to reports, the extension is expected to be worth $55 million over five-years.
While work on a Jim Harbaugh-Michigan extension remains ongoing (5 years, $55M, per reports) and school officials remain hopeful, I'm told by someone with direct knowledge of the talks that a deal is not imminent.
— Aaron McMann | MLive Media Group (@AaronMcMann) December 7, 2023
Looking at the big picture, what do you think of Harbaugh as a coach?
Where do you rank him among the top coaches in college football?
Do you think he will indeed stay at Michigan? … Or will he pass up the extension and head to the NFL???