With just two days to go until the start of the initial signing period, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has spoken to recruiters about the status of his contract, which remains without a resolution on an extension.
Harbaugh has one year left on his current contract, but talks about an extension have been cited by Harbaugh and athletics director Ward Manuel.
“Yeah, that begs the question, what my plan is, (I)’m sure in Michigan,” Harbaugh said. “I’ve been, are, will be. In the current deal, Ward and I will talk at the end of the season. That’s the truth. That’s what it stands for.”
Wolverines have not lost any certainty from uncertainty, but creating any question about the future gives other schools the opportunity to try to use the situation.
ESPN 300 lineman Jayton Hood said he plans to wait until Monday to sign his national letter to ESPN and will not sign this week. He discussed the Harbaugh deal with staff, but still plans to wait.
“All of my conversations about it, they told me he wasn’t going anywhere,” Hood said.
The highest ranked person in the class is ESPN 300 Quarterback JJ. McCarthy reaffirmed his commitment to ESPN and said he plans to sign the No. 2 double threat quarterback in class on Wednesday.
When asked last week how this would affect recruitment, Manuel told reporters that the negative recruitment was not unique to the situation and that he and Harbaugh would stick to the talk table once the season was over.
The season ends when Michigan plays Iowa this weekend.
Wolverines had to cancel their game against Ohio last weekend due to an increase in positive COVID-19 tests, but Harbaugh said the team trained on Sunday and plans to train on Monday and the rest of the week.
“If there was a good, exciting training, it impressed our players. There was a lot of energy, there was a lot of excitement,” Harbaugh said. “It’s the same this morning. Good workouts in the weight room, too. Training today. I can’t really talk about how proud I am of the players, the coaches, in fact, me.”
Harbaugh agrees that it is difficult to make decisions about the future in this climate and that everything is everyday and that the team’s position can change.
But, for now, he says the team will be ready to play Iowa on Saturday.