The Wolverine Digest Pod

Everyone thought that Jim Harbaugh would eventually return to Ann Arbor only to clean out his office. Instead, he's back as Michigan's head coach.

The whole saga just doesn't make much sense, but here we are. It's February, spring ball is right around the corner and Harbaugh is the head coach at the University of Michigan.

Quite a bit actually happened on a Saturday. Tom Brady reportedly retired but then didn't, Jim Harbaugh still hasn't signed an extension and went to a formal interview with the Minnesota Vikings, Michigan basketball got blown out by Michigan State in East Lansing and Michigan hockey is going through a pretty ugly looking scandal.

Of course, we spent a lot of time talking about Harbaugh and the most recent developments, but we also dove into the basketball game quite a bit. Michigan was just a three-point dog against the Spartans but ended up losing by 16. The Wolverines shot the ball horribly and never really challenged the Spartans on their home floor. All of that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

John U. Bacon is a legend in the Michigan media market, so it was great to get him on to discuss the ongoing Jim Harbaugh saga. Bacon breaks down the ever-evolving situation between Harbaugh and the NFL and gives his take on what will ultimately happen. He admits that it's basically an educated guess at this point, but that's about as good as any of us can do. 

We also talk about another football transfer, a couple of PWO commits, a very exciting interview in the works and the Michigan basketball team stepping up and getting ready for a big one in East Lansing on Saturday. All of that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

We're heading into the weekend again and Jim Harbaugh is still out there with a lot of question marks surrounding him and his future. New information is constantly pouring in and new developments are happening as the situation with the Las Vegas Raiders and Michigan remains fluid. It feels really close to 50/50 at this point but it's ultimately going to come down to what Jim Harbaugh wants to do if the Raiders offer him the head coaching job.

We also tackle Michigan's 2022 schedule assign lines to each contest. As things stand right now, it's realistic that Michigan will be favored in 11 of its 12 regular season games and even the regular season finale against Ohio State in Columbus feels like it could be a close one. Throw in some more hypothetical Harbaugh chats and you have the latest episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

Another day, another dollar and a bunch of new updates about Jim Harbaugh that really don't amount to anything. At this point, Jim Harbaugh is waiting to see if and what any NFL teams offer him. It's likely going to come down to the Raiders or Michigan for Harbaugh, but it's anyone's guess at this point. 

We also talk some about Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball getting back in the win column against Maryland and what it might take for the hoopers to make the NCAA Tournament this season. We also revive Burning Questions as a way to address the latest in Michigan athletics with some semblance of organization. 

Another day, another page in the Jim Harbaugh life story. Michigan's head coach is out on the recruiting trail, making new hires, smiling in photos at Michigan hockey games and doing everything he's supposed to do as U-M's leader. And why shouldn't he? After all, he is under contract and could very well be back as the head coach in Ann Arbor next year. Still, he's waiting on something, that's abundantly clear now. We do our best to make sense of all of that and cover this thing as it continues to drag out.

We also talk about Michigan losing a commitment and gaining a commitment in the 2023 class as well as the struggling U-M hoops team. Juwan Howard is certainly earning his pay this year as he tries to figure things out with his 7-7 squad. All of that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.

It's now Friday night and still no movement on the Jim Harbaugh contract extension. Michigan's head coach is recruiting, setting up visits and making hires, but it definitely seems like he's still waiting on what happens with the Las Vegas Raiders. It still feels like him being back at U-M is the most likely scenario, but it's not a done deal just yet.

We also discuss Andre Seldon's transfer and his words on the way out, along with Juwan Howard and the men's basketball team getting back on the court against Illinois.

It's now Wednesday night and Jim Harbaugh still has not signed a contract extension. As we approach the weekend it's becoming more and more obvious that he's waiting some things out in the NFL. It's starting to feel like it's Raiders or bust when it comes to NFL opportunities. If it's bust, he'll be back at Michigan next year with a new contract and likely more money for his assistants. There's also a chance that an NIL program could be implemented.

We also got our hands on Michigan's official schedule for the 2022 season. It consists of eight home games and a slate that doesn't send the Wolverines away from Ann Arbor until October. There are about four tough-ish games on the schedule and 11-0 is a very real possibility. We talk about all of that and more on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast. 

Another day has passed and Jim Harbaugh still has not signed an extension that is reportedly sitting on his desk waiting for him. I don't know if the paperwork is actually ready for him like that, but I do know that if he wanted to be signed and looking forward, he could be. He's interested in the NFL and several NFL teams are interested in him. How will all of that play out? Only Harbaugh and the NFL teams know.

As Harbaugh tries to figure out what he wants, now-former Wolverines are making tough decisions to head off to the NFL or to another program. A couple key players have announced that they'll be back in 2022, which should end up being another solid season for the Wolverines. All of this is taking place as the U-M staff prepares to host a lot of recruits this weekend.

Finally, we talk about the College Football Playoff National Championship game. We cover a few bets, pick a winner and discuss what it might take for Michigan to get to that level someday.

Over the past week, several Michigan players have declared for the NFL Draft and several others have announced their intentions to transfer to other schools. Most were expected while a couple others were a tad surprising. It's worth breaking them down to see exactly how it affects the roster heading into next year.

Those are all fine and good to talk about, but the biggest topic is the future of Jim Harbaugh. There's real interest between him and the NFL, and, of course, Michigan certainly wants him back. That creates a very interesting dynamic during the early part of the calendar year. We do our best to break all of that down on this episode of The Wolverine Digest Podcast.