Weeks after winning the program’s first national championship in more than two decades, Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh is heading back to the NFL.
Harbaugh is set to accept an offer to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
As has been the case seemingly every offseason in recent years, Harbaugh had been rumored to be interested in a return to the NFL since the Wolverines capped off a 15-0 season with a win over Washington in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
In addition to the Chargers, Harbaugh also reportedly interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons.
Harbaugh leaves Ann Arbor with an 83-25 record over nine seasons, claiming three Big Ten championships, in each of his last three years.
He returns to the NFL a decade after wrapping up a three-year stint as the San Francisco 49ers head coach, where he went 41-14 (including postseason), with a trip to the Super Bowl — where he lost to his brother John’s Ravens — and NFL Coach of the Year honors in his first season.
His departure comes after spending much of the season surrounded by controversy at Michigan. He served a self-imposed three-game suspension to start the year in connection with alleged recruiting violations.
He was then suspended by the Big Ten for the final three regular season games for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy as the NCAA determined the program had been conducting an on-campus, in-person scouting and sign stealing scheme.
With both cases still remaining open, it is not clear what punishment the NCAA will levy against the program.