After Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh absorbed a pay cut last January that nearly halved his salary, the university has restored his annual compensation to its previous level.
Harbaugh is scheduled to receive at least $41.68 million over the next five years if he completes the contract and $8.05 million in 2022, according to the document he signed Tuesday obtained by the Free Press via a Freedom of Information Act request. With an average pay total of $8.34 million, Harbaugh will again rank among the highest-paid coaches in college football. But within the Big Ten, Penn State's James Franklin and Michigan State's Mel Tucker are still set to earn more money than Harbaugh in the coming years.
Absent the new agreement, Harbaugh was due to be paid $4.1 million in 2022.
After Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh absorbed a pay cut last January that nearly halved his salary, the university has restored his annual compensation to its previous level.
Harbaugh is scheduled to receive at least $41.68 million over the next five years if he completes the contract and $8.05 million in 2022, according to the document he signed Tuesday obtained by the Free Press via a Freedom of Information Act request. With an average pay total of $8.34 million, Harbaugh will again rank among the highest-paid coaches in college football. But within the Big Ten, Penn State's James Franklin and Michigan State's Mel Tucker are still set to earn more money than Harbaugh in the coming years.
Absent the new agreement, Harbaugh was due to be paid $4.1 million in 2022.
On the other hand, if the university fires Harbaugh without cause, it will owe him all of the money remaining on the contract except for a $1 million deferred compensation amount that Harbaugh will receive only he is the Wolverines’ head coach each Dec. 31.
But the 58-year-old Harbaugh is currently in good standing after rebuilding the program following the downturn in 2020 that led to his pay cut. This past fall, he steered the Wolverines to their first Big Ten title since 2004. Their 12 wins were the most since the Wolverines claimed a share of the national title in 1997.
Those achievements helped net Harbaugh millions in incentives that he vowed to donate back to athletic department employees who lost income during the COVID-19 pandemic. Harbaugh's newest contract includes a slew of similar performance bonuses: $500,000 for winning the Big Ten East, another $1 million for a conference championship, an additional $500,000 for a CFP berth and $1 million for a national title. Harbaugh also stands to make an extra $50,000 if he's named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and $75,000 should he receive a similar honor at the national level.
Harbaugh, who was hired by Michigan in December 2014, has posted a 61-24 record during his tenure.