Los Angeles Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh First in Odds for Prestigious Award in 2024

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is currently the odds-on favorite to win Coach of the Year in 2024, according to betting platform Stake.com

Harbaugh is coming off of a national title with the Michigan Wolverines in 2023. He will be in his first year with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024. It will be Harbaugh’s second stint in the NFL as he spent four years as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014.

Stake.com’s odds for Coach of the Year are as follows:

• Los Angeles Chargers: Jim Harbaugh +650
• Atlanta Falcons: Raheem Morris +900
• Green Bay Packers: Matt Lafleur +1,000
• Indianapolis Colts: Shane Steichen +1,400
• Seattle Seahawks: Mike Macdonald +1,400

Los Angeles Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh has proven success in the NFL

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has already proven he knows how to be successful at the NFL level. While he never won the Super Bowl, he did reach the Super Bowl and lose to his brother John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens.

49ers vs Ravens, Super Bowl 47 Final Drive 💔!

Definitely should have given the ball to Frank Gore here & let him pound it in. Instead, we’d turn it over & downs & come up short of ring #6. #49ers #FTTB #49ersvsRavens pic.twitter.com/nexxi5WBbS

— 49 Immortalz #FTTB (@49Immortalz) February 9, 2024

In the four years that Harbaugh served as the head coach of the 49ers, he never suffered a losing season. He made it to the NFC Championship Game in three of the four years he coached San Francisco.

Harbaugh’s overall record in San Francisco finished at 44-19-1. He had 11 or more wins in three of the four seasons in which he coached the 49ers. He managed to take quarterback Colin Kaepernick to the Super Bowl, who struggled to find his place in the NFL in the years after Harbaugh’s departure.

Kaepernick had just two seasons in which he threw for over 3,000 yards and more than 16 touchdowns. Both of those seasons were under Harbaugh.

It wouldn’t be the first time Los Angeles Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh won Coach of the Year

Not only did Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh already win Coach of the Year in the NFL, but he won it in his first year as a head coach in the NFL.

He won in 2011 when he led the 49ers to a 13-3 record in his first year. They lost the NFC Championship Game, but he put the NFL on watch with an impressive first year.

In an article from Fox Sports, NFL analyst David Helman explained why he thought the Chargers made the right move in hiring Harbaugh.

“He’s one of just five coaches in history with a college national championship, as well as coached in a Super Bowl. Short of getting the actual Lombardi trophy, he has experienced the pinnacle of success at every level of football you can ask.

“The thing I love … and this is why I’m so confident this is a slam dunk hire: Find the location where Jim Harbaugh hasn’t taken his program to a new high. He turned Stanford into a college football powerhouse. Michigan, they just won their first national championship since the 90s. … And, oh by the way … when he wasn’t doing all that stuff in college, he only made three straight NFC Championship Games as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers [and] came within a whisker of beating his brother John Harbarugh to win the Super Bowl back in 2012.”

Harbaugh has shown he can be successful in the NFL, but the league has changed dramatically since he left the 49ers in 2014. Harbaugh was ahead of the curve with a dual-threat quarterback, but rule changes and the implementation of RPO schemes have given the NFL a different look in 2024.

Harbaugh has still been keeping up with the game during his years in Michigan, but the NFL is a different league and Harbaugh’s adjustments are yet to be seen.

Get More NFL and College Football Content

For more news and trends in the college football world, click here or follow me on Twitter @KusleikaAndrew.