Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines have problems

Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines have a laundry list of problems heading into the 2022 season despite being just two months removed from a Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff berth.

It has been a tumultuous offseason in Ann Arbor, especially after reports that the Wolverines' head coach could be leaving UM sooner than later. 

On a recent episode of "The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young," the FOX Sports college football analyst explained what Michigan fans can — and should — think of the latest developments in the Harbaugh saga. 

"It is an open question now as to weather or not Michigan can follow up their sun-kissed season with a similar one," Young said. "Following the college football playoff in which Michigan got handed its head by eventual national champion Georgia, Jim Harbaugh did not hide that he wanted to return to the NFL. He wanted [to] and did interview for a couple of jobs. Notably, [with] the Las Vegas Raiders and the Minnesota Vikings. He took not one, but two interviews with the Minnesota Vikings, including a second interview on National Signing Day. Michigan fans were making jokes about having half a coach."

"This is after Mike Macdonald, who [Harbaugh] basically took on a rental from Baltimore, became his defensive coordinator and helped him get the win against Ohio State, get that Big Ten Championship. … He returned to Baltimore to be their defensive coordinator," Young continued. "OK. Then, last weekend, the Broyles Award winner — which goes to the top assistant coach in college football — Josh Gattis, an offensive coordinator at Michigan, decided that he was going to take the job at Miami. I thought that was interesting because we're talking about basically two coordinators choosing not to work for Jim Harbaugh.

"Gattis, in agreeing to become the new coordinator at Miami, sent a text to his players — obtained by ESPN's Tom VanHaaren — that said ‘Unfortunately, the past few weeks have told a different story to me about the very little appreciation I have here from administration. In life, I would never advise anyone to be where they are not wanted.’ This seems like a reoccurring feeling for Gattis since he took the job at Michigan after being the co-coordinator at Alabama."

Macdonald and Gattis are the two most recent staffers to leave Michigan after defensive line coach Shaun Nua joined USC earlier in the offseason. 

Following their departures, Harbaugh hired former Vanderbilt DC Jesse Minter and named Sherrone Moore as its offensive coordinator. Matt Weiss, who spent last season as Michigan's quarterbacks coach, also got a promotion to co-offensive coordinator, while Grant Newsome, who assisted with offensive line coaching the past two seasons at Michigan, is moving into a full-time position role working with the tight ends.

Despite the whirlwind throughout this offseason, Young believes UM can get back on track before the fall.

"To Michigan's credit, the administration, they're very happy to have Jim Harbaugh back. There are no hard feelings," he added. "They're gonna let that man do what he needs to do. But if you are working for him, or you're playing for him, you have to wonder whether or not he's gonna be around for the length that you plan to be around.

"That's what it's about."