Jim Harbaugh says he's not worth $5 million per year

Is Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh worth $5 million per season? He was asked the question recently and said he wasn't.

Harbaugh was featured on a Fox 2 segment in Detroit and his salary was, naturally, a topic of conversation. Before he signed a deal with the Wolverines that pays him $5 million a year, reports had Harbaugh's potential salary as high as $8 million a year.

The $8 million figure would have made Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in college football. At $5 million, he fits easily into the top 10 salaries of FBS coaches.

When he was first asked about his worth. Harbaugh simply said "no." When the host brought up the idea of giving it back, Harbaugh expounded.

"I like making a buck just like the next guy," Harbaugh told Fox 2 (you can view the video here). "I'm not doing five times as muchwork as somebody else or doing more work than someone who's not the head football coach at the University of Michigan so to answer your question honestly I would have to say no."

Yoju can certainly argue that college football coaches make too much money (and how the NCAA economic model is a broken and exploitative one). However, it's a bit premature to say that Harbaugh isn't worth $5 million a year, even if he says so himself.

Michigan's coach in 2014, Brady Hoke, made $2.8 million. If Michigan improves in 2015, don't you think all of the added exposure and likely extra revenue for the athletic department with Harbaugh's arrival means the additional $2.2 million per season for Harbaugh is well spent, at least in the short term?

Just look at Alabama's Nick Saban, currently the highest-paid college football coach at approximately $7 million per season. In 2013, Saban made about $5.5 million and the football program had a reported $53 million surplus in the 2013-14 fiscal year. Or a number almost 10 times Saban's salary.

Given the going rate for coach salaries, Harbaugh appears well worth the contract right now. Of course, things could change, especially if Michigan doesn't improve in 2015 and 2016. We'll have a better answer to the question in a while.

For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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