Michigan's Jim Harbaugh is The Associated Press college football coach of the year after leading the Wolverines to their first Big Ten Conference title in 17 years and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Harbaugh is the first Michigan coach to win the award, and he the first from the Big Ten since Joe Paterno for Penn State in 2005.
"It's a tremendous reflection on the entire staff, players," Harbaugh told the AP. "Everybody shares in it. A rising tide lifts all ships."
He received 22 of 53 first-place votes and 103 points from a panel of AP Top 25 voters to finish ahead of Cincinnati's Luke Fickell, who had 16 first-place votes and 88 points.
Baylor's Dave Aranda was third (47 points, five first-place votes), followed by Michigan State's Mel Tucker (22, four) Georgia's Kirby Smart (13, one), Utah State's Blake Anderson (11, three), Alabama's Nick Saban (nine, one) and Wake Forest's Dave Clawson (six, one) in the group receiving at least one first-place vote.
Michigan is the first school to sweep the AP coach of the year in football and men's basketball in the same calendar year since the football award was established in 1998. Juwan Howard won coach of the year in men's basketball for the 2020-21 season.
Harbaugh came into his seventh season as football coach of his alma mater on a hot seat after going 2-4 in the Big Ten's pandemic-abbreviated schedule in 2020. After his first losing season with Michigan, Harbaugh took a pay cut and had his buyout reduced, putting the school in better position to make a coaching change if this season didn't go well, and he also made changes to the defensive staff in the offseason.
Everything came together for the Wolverines this season. They beat Ohio State to snap an eight-game losing streak in the border rivalry and reached the Big Ten title game for the first time, where they routed Iowa last weekend.
While Harbaugh has chosen not to gloat about Michigan's turnaround - despite the fact there were plenty of skeptics - his brother was not above it.
"He's always been a great coach," Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters. "And all those that want to pile on, especially some of the local media there, there you have it. Back in your face. That's how I look at it. He'd never say that, but I'll say it."
The Harbaugh brothers famously faced off in Super Bowl XLVII when both were NFL head coaches. Jim's San Francisco 49ers lost 34-31 to big brother John's Ravens in that title game to cap the 2012 season, and two years later Jim headed back to the college ranks, having already led Stanford from 2007-10.
He is now 119-50 as a college head coach and has the Wolverines in the chase for the program's first national championship since winning the AP crown after going 12-0 in the 1997 season.
No. 2 Michigan (12-1) will face No. 3 Georgia (12-1) in its first College Football Playoff appearance at the Orange Bowl semifinal on Dec. 31, the same day No. 1 Alabama (12-1) takes on No. 4 Cincinnati (13-0) in the Cotton Bowl semifinal.
"I love this team. I love this '21 team," Harbaugh said. "They've got a bounce in their step every day. They've got a smile on their face. They've worked incredibly hard."
AP photo by AJ Mast / Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines are seeded second for the College Football Playoff.AP COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACH OF THE YEAR 2021
As selected by a panel of AP Top 25 poll voters:
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan - 103 points (22 first-place votes)
Luke Fickell, Cincinnati - 88 (16)
Dave Aranda, Baylor -47 (5)
Mel Tucker, Michigan State - 22 (4)
Kirby Smart, Georgia - 13 (1)
Blake Anderson, Utah State - 11 (3)
Nick Saban, Alabama - 9 (1)
Dave Clawson, Wake Forest - 6 (1)
Jeff Traylor, UTSA - 6
Pat Narduzzi, Pitt - 4
Kyle Whittingham, Utah - 4
Sam Pittman, Arkansas - 2
Mike Houston, East Carolina - 1
Billy Napier, Louisiana - 1
Kalani Sitake, BYU - 1