Another day brings another high-profile coach some think would be on the radar for the University of Texas declares his allegiance to his current team. Today it is San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Asked if he would like to remain with the 49ers, the former Stanford head coach replied “Absolutely.” If one time was not enough, he repeated his one-word reply just in case, according to a report by ESPN.com.
There have been reports of some tension between Harbaugh and team owner Jed York, but Harbaugh dismissed that as well during a radio interview, suggesting that cooler heads have a way of prevailing when there are negotiations and different viewpoints in San Francisco.
Harbaugh is just the kind of coach that Texas could benefit from having. He has a solid track record as a head coach, most notably at Stanford and his short work in the NFL highlighted by leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl last season. Harbaugh helped turn Stanford in to a national power, getting the program to shed the book smart image on the field and play tough, physical football without being intimidated by perennial powers such as USC. David Shaw has continued to execute the plan put together by Harbaugh with great success.
But it appears Texas will not be able to get Harbaugh or Shaw. With an eight-person search committee formed to handle the task athletics director Steve Patterson was hired to do, and with so many options apparently drying up, it will be interesting to see how this coaching search plays out in Austin.