Harbaugh to the Niners

Even though quarterback Andrew Luck has decided to return for his senior year (he might want to reconsider his decision), his now former coach Jim Harbaugh has left him and Stanford for the NFL, to coach the San Francisco 49ers. As the Cardinal are expecting a drop-off next season after a blowout win over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, Harbaugh favored a five year, 25 million dollar deal to head to San Fran and join his brother coaching in the pros.

Many other teams, in both the NFL and NCAA, were courting Harbaugh to coach their team, most notably the Miami Dolphins and Michigan University, where he went to school and played there as the team's quarterback. Michigan is now still looking for a replacement for recently fired Rich Rodriguez, after a miserable past three years in which the usual powerhouse went 15-22 overall. The Dolphins still have a coach in Tony Sparano, but had talks with Harbaugh anyway, which seemingly lost Sparano power with both his players and in the organization.

So why did he choose the 49ers? As of right now, they aren't in the greatest shape. Well, for one, San Fran offered him the most money, lucrative terms for a coach. He must see it as an opportunity to turn a team around, to convert the 49ers the consistent contenders they once were.