Jim Harbaugh Could Be a Better Fit for the QB-Centric NFL Than You Thought

Sometimes, the timing of things just works out. And if Jim Harbaugh is interested in returning to the NFL, the stars might be aligning.

Yesterday was this year's Black Monday, and we saw two coaches lose their jobs. That brings us to five vacancies (if you count in-season firings), and it's possible that there could be more movement. And then, on Monday night, Harbaugh and his Michigan Wolverines capped off their NCAA football season with a national title.

That climax will only add further fuel to the rumors that the bench boss will reenter the NFL fray—there's something to be said for leaving as a winner—but what do we know about his fit at the professional level? Well, a coach from a member of Harbaugh's staff may have given a key piece of testimony that helps connect the dots.

Harbaugh Has an Overlooked Focus on Quarterbacks

When you're trying to assess Harbaugh as a complete entity, there are plenty of different threads you have to try to weave together. The coach is certainly a unique character, and he's willing to talk about SpongeBob SquarePants, climb trees and tweet at Judge Judy.

He's also a proven winner, which certainly matters when push comes to shove.

Focusing more on the nuts and bolts, he's also developed a reputation as a coach who prefers an older-school offense. During his time in San Francisco, his 49ers never ranked below ninth in terms of league-wide rushing attempts. Conversely, those teams ranked 31st, 31st, 32nd and 29th in terms of passing attempts.

And at Michigan, that trend held. In 2021, MLive's Aaron McMann described how the head coach used a "football team built like one of yesteryear—big, physical, and geared toward the run" to beat Ohio State. Things weren't too different in 2023, when the Wolverines ran the ball more than twice as often as they attempted a pass.

And the season came to a fitting conclusion in the national championship game, when quarterback J.J. McCarthy's performance (10 of 18 passing for 140 yards) was overshadowed by running backs Blake Corum (134 yards and two touchdowns) and Donovan Edwards (104 yards and two more scores).

But, despite that body of work, Harbaugh does have a connection to the quarterback position.

"Harbaugh is a guy of wit, wisdom and pop-in visits to position meetings," Dennis Dodd wrote in a CBS Sports story about the coach. "Being a former quarterback and an offensive guy, most of Harbaugh's time—if that's the right word—is spent in the quarterback room."

That piece also featured a telling quote from offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore.

"It's more fundamental with the quarterbacks," Moore said. "He doesn't step in with the play calls, doesn't step in with what we're doing with the game plan."

But that's not the only link on the record. A Washington Post story, headlined "Want to understand Jim Harbaugh? Go back to the start," also places the focus on a pass.

"The [Western Kentucky team, where Jim was a volunteer assistant on his father's staff] ran a triple-option offense," the Post's Jerry Brewer wrote. "[Quarterback Willie] Taggart threw just 131 passes in 12 games that season, and thinking back, it's surprising he attempted that many. The Hilltoppers that night were scuffling through a game against South Florida. Thirty-five seconds before halftime, Jim suggested to his father and the offensive staff that they call the most un-Western Kentucky play in their book: a deep shot to fullback Jade Gummer.

"More than a quarter-century later, it's not novel to throw a wheel route to a player dashing out of the backfield. But in 1997? To the fullback? In Bowling Green, Ky.? It felt like space exploration," Brewer wrote.

The play, which Harbaugh had helped hone in practice, was completed for a touchdown. And Western Kentucky went on to secure a big win.

"Whenever Jim would come to town, we were all excited because we knew we were getting some new passes installed," Taggart, who went on to be a coach in his own right, explained. "We'd be like: 'We know this dude. He's going to pass.' Whatever he called, it worked. Jim is just different, man. He sees things differently, and it always works."

And while it can be risky to draw a conclusion from a single play, that anecdote, taken in conjunction with the other quotes, paints the picture of a former quarterback who, despite leaning on other parts of the game, hasn't lost his connection to standing under center.

A QB Connection Sounds Useful in the Modern NFL

So now that we've pulled out some of the overlooked quarterback/passing focus from Harbaugh's work, let's apply that to a potential NFL return.

If we included teams that finished the season with interim coaches, five clubs are looking to hire: the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Carolina Panthers, the Washington Commanders and the Atlanta Falcons.

Of those clubs, only the Chargers have a fully formed quarterback in Justin Herbert. The Panthers need to keep developing Bryce Young, while the Commanders, Falcons and Raiders are all looking for their star under center. (And if you think Bill Belichick will leave the Patriots, they'll also need a new QB to pair with a new bench boss.)

It's easy to see how Harbaugh fits into those situations. If he's someone who has a fundamental grasp of quarterback play without forcing himself into every single decision, that sounds like someone who can help guide a signal-caller's development without being dogmatic. You can set up a good situation, after all, without personally leading a rookie by the hand through every single meeting.

Or, in Herbert's case, the head coach could fine-tune some things without asking him to completely reinvent the wheel.

The ground game is also a piece of the developmental puzzle. While running may seem exclusive to passing, both facets of the offense work together. If you're trying to build up a young QB, then having the ability to stay ahead of the chains and keep defenses honest will only make things easier.

It's also worth noting that, during his previous NFL stint with the 49ers, Harbaugh did solid work. While his teams were never explosive passing offenses, he got good production out of Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. It's not as if he had Payton Manning under center and forced him to hand off the ball 45 times per game.

Does that mean Harbaugh is the magic bullet, capable of fixing any team overnight? Of course not. His mere hiring won't repair a patchwork offensive line or a leaky defense, for example.

But in the modern NFL, having a capable quarterback is essential. He can be a star player, like Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson, or someone who's a bit less flashy, à la Brock Purdy. That position, however, largely determines the fate of your franchise.

And while his quirky personality and penchant for running the ball might spring to the forefront of your mind, Jim Harbaugh might be the man to develop that signal-caller.