Brady Hoke is out as Michigan's head coach, and one "Michigan man" who will not be in play as a successor is San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh.
Footballscoop.com -- a website that reports extensively on college coaches -- reported Tuesday morning that "multiple sources" said Harbaugh already has told Michigan that he is not a candidate.
That shouldn't surprise anyone, not even the most ardent Wolverines supporter: Harbaugh is a successful NFL coach, and why would a successful NFL coach leave for a college job -- even if that job is at his alma mater? Arizona Cardinals linebacker Larry Foote, a former All-American at Michigan, said last month that Harbaugh wasn't leaving for the Wolverines' job.
The 49ers (7-5) have failed to live up to lofty expectations thus far this season, and there has been much speculation about Harbaugh's relationship with the front office and his future in San Francisco.
Footballscoop.com also reported that Tennessee coach Butch Jones, a Michigan native who had great success as Central Michigan's coach in the mid-2000s, will not be a candidate and that a source said "Michigan is struggling to find their next head coach."
It will be interesting to see how interim Michigan athletic director Jim Hackett, a former Michigan football player whose main business background was as the CEO of a large office-furniture manufacturer, handles a search. He has no experience as a college athletics administrator, and said during Tuesday's press conference he will hire a search firm to help with the process.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
