The ripples of Jim Harbaugh concluding his era at Michigan were far-fetching. So much so that it ended up in the alleys of Hollywood. Post a fresh National Championship win, Harbaugh further embellished his resume by accepting a $62.5 million offer from the Chargers. The best of rumors had Harbaugh’s switch to the NFL after it. Well, his meetings over the past few years with Minnesota and the Broncos weren’t exactly a secret.
However, per popular belief, one of the primary reasons that pushed him off the cliff was the NCAA. Rather, the impending doom of the sign-stealing fiasco to be more precise. While Tony Petitti and Co. had to let Harbaugh go for the playoffs, they were all set to delve deep through their investigation, keeping Harbaugh’s position in a constant state of fright in the next season. Now that Harbaugh has left the consequences for the upcoming head coach to deal with, internet memes have taken over to mock the situation.
Reel life golfer mocks NCAA in cinematic style
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Christopher McDonald, famously known for playing the antagonist Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore, sneered at the NCAA through his sarcasm. Sharing a scene from the iconic ‘Shawshank Redemption’, McGavin implied that the NCAA won’t have Harbaugh looking down the barrel of their gun anymore.
NCAA looking for Jim Harbaugh to suspend him for next season pic.twitter.com/WAzcXMZkl4
— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) January 25, 2024
Being well aware of this, Michigan already offered a security pin to Harbaugh under their updated terms of contract. Along with the $11.5 million per year pay scale, MU was offering him ‘immunity from termination from any finding or sanction that could arise from multiple ongoing NCAA investigations’. However, it was too late by then as Harbaugh had already chosen the road to travel. Was the NCAA the real ad dominant reason behind Harbaugh’s shift? If so, then will it equally impact the succeeding head coach at Michigan?
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Sherrone Moore lead candidate to replace Harbaugh
While the immunity pin being offered to the one taking over Harbaugh remains a question to be addressed by Michigan officials, they have initiated the process of nit-picking the next candidate after 9 years. Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, Michigan’s offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore is the leading candidate for the job.
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To make matters smooth, Moore already has coaching experience with the Wolverines. When Harbaugh was suspended for the final three games, Moore stepped up as the acting head coach, not losing a single game during that period. Moreover, Michigan’s offense ranked second in the Big Ten under Moore’s guidance. While Jim Harbaugh’s shoes would be big to fill in, Moore is seemingly the most apt candidate.
Watch this story: Coach Jim Harbaugh Sets The Record Straight On Michigan’s Sign-Stealing Incident