The Maize and Blue fandom saw it from a mile away. Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz left everyone shunned with their team-building master plan. In Michigan, Sherrone Moore might have started healing the mass exodus wounds of Michigan fans that Harbaugh left. Whereas in Los Angeles, Jim Harbaugh on the other hand is igniting new hopes in Bolts fans. Yes, it is too early to judge Harbaugh’s work as a head coach before his team. However, Harbaugh is backed up by his team from Michigan who traveled to the Chargers with him, especially Joe Hortiz, the strength and conditioning coach.

LA Football Network’s hosts talked about the changes that the Chargers’ roster underwent under the reign of Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz. “There are fingerprints of both Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh all over this and everything that both of them said that they wanted to do coming into this organization, thus far has happened for the better part,” the host said. The offensive line, building out depth at certain positions, solving roster problems, tight end, sub-planning Keenan Allen with three wide receivers in the same draft, along with some other free agent signings, and more that Jim Harbaugh swooped in and did.

ESPN’s Mike Clay ranked the Chargers at No. 24 in the NFL roster rankings, their biggest strength was highlighted to be the edge-rushing group. Despite all of this, Joe Hortiz has just one line to say to the detractors who are still questioning them, which also happens to be their motto for the season: “We ain’t done building. Building a team is constant. It’s year-round.” With all the energy that is flowing around in the Chargers, Jim Harbaugh might as well fulfill his Super Bowl dream, the one that he envisioned in 2012, the one that remains unfulfilled.

Jim Harbaugh’s Super Bowl dream

On the evening of February 3, 2012, the Raiders won the Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers with a close margin of 3 points at 34-31. The Raiders fans were celebrating, sure. However, some of them felt truly empathetic towards the loss that Jim Harbaugh and Co. had dealt with. Jim Harbaugh had lost a competition against his sibling, John Harbaugh, also the competition that marked his very first Super Bowl appearance.

When he left the Niners a couple of years later, Harbaugh’s shift to the NCAA indicated that he had buried the Super Bowl dream deep down. However, ever since he started looking for NFL jobs during his time in Michigan, the flame in Harbaugh’s heart re-kindled.

Even before he left Michigan in 2024, Harbaugh had long been considering NFL jobs. The sign-stealing mess at Michigan just gave him the push he needed. Now that he is in the NFL, will the much-praised Chargers roster turn this Super Bowl dream of Jim Harbaugh into a reality? Only time will tell.