IS JIM HARBAUGH STAYING AT STANFORD?

Our esteemed colleague, John Taylor, over at CollegeFootballTalk.com has weighed in on the slightly confusing situation regarding Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, the brother of Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh. For a coach whose agent has repeatedly said he’s on the verge of striking a six-year contract extension to remain at Stanford, Harbaugh has reportedly been spending a lot of time talking to NFL teams. Harbaugh is a candidate for jobs with the New York Jets, St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions, according to NFP as of January 5. Harbaugh’s agent Jack Bechta, a fellow NFP columnist like Lombardi, responded by attempting some damage control the next day where he referred to his client as a “hot commodity” while emphasizing that Harbaugh is nearly set to make a major commitment by re-signing with Stanford. Just four days later, though, the news came out that Harbaugh had actually met with the Jets. So, San Jose Mercury News columnist Mark Purdy wants some answers for the Stanford fans about what’s going on. According to the article, Harbaugh declined several requests to clarify the situation. Here’s an excerpt from Purdy’s column: “It’s no sin to be an ambitious coach. And if Harbaugh is using the NFL feelers as leverage to get more money from Bowlsby, that’s also not against the law. But a man should at least be up front about the situation, unless Harbaugh wants to be considered just another borderline greasy coach who talks out of both sides of his mouth.“ Wow. Just for the record, though, Stanford’s Athletic Director, Bob Bowlsby, told the Mercury News that no NFL team had put in a formal request to speak with Harbaugh. It’s also worth noting that Stanford recruit Tyler Gaffney recently visited Palo Alto and told ESPN.com that Harbaugh didn’t shy away from shooting down the persistent NFL rumors. “He told us he had no interest and the NFL isn’t for him,” Gaffney said. “He did interview, but it was a while ago. . . . He said he just wanted to see what it was like. But he’s going to be signing his extension at Stanford in the next week and wants to stay for the long haul.”