Where in the world will Jim Harbaugh coach next season? That's the question that's being asked around the Bay Area this week as talk heats up that he will be moving on from the San Francisco 49ers after the season.
Some have suggested that a move to coach the Oakland Raiders could be in store for Harbaugh, while others are clamoring for him to go back to his alma mater of Michigan, which has an opening. Noted Wolverines alum and current NFL Network host Rich Eisen is all aboard the Harbaugh to Ann Arbor train and might be getting some support from some influential players, as well.
Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday, Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson said he would also rather see Harbaugh back in the maize and blue instead of being his head coach in 2015 if he sticks around the East Bay.
"If the choices were out there, it would definitely be Michigan. As a guy that played there, the fans would love it, it would be great for recruiting and just to have a guy that's proven -- he's won everywhere he's been as a coach," said Woodson. "If he went to Michigan, I'd say, yeah, and go blue.
"But it doesn't sound too good right now."
Woodson said he spoke briefly with Harbaugh on the field before his team's win over the 49ers on Sunday, but the coach echoed his comments in his press conference about putting the team first and not his coaching future. No matter who winds up in Ann Arbor to replace Brady Hoke, though, Woodson is just hoping they can get the program back on track like it was when the team was winning national championships.
"It seems like the last couple of years, for whatever reason, we haven't been able to get it done. Once Lloyd Carr was gone, things have been in disarray and we just haven't had the steadiness we had when Coach Carr was around," the former Michigan star said. "Things have been up and down. However this process goes, I just hope we can find the right person to come in there."
Woodson, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1997 over Peyton Manning, also divulged his vote for college football's most prestigious award. There was no Michigan Man to be found on his ballot, but one name did stand out.
"I voted for (Marcus) Mariota, (Amari) Cooper and actually had Jameis (Winston) on my ballot, as well," Woodson said. "What (Winston) has done is hard. I know he has a lot of of off-the-field things going on, but what he's done on the field, it's hard to leave him off."
The Heisman winner will be announced on Saturday night, but Woodson and others will likely have to wait even longer before finding out who ends up taking the Michigan head coaching job, even if they have a particular candidate in mind.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
