Update: And now we've heard it straight from the man himself. Jim Harbaugh is not leaving Michigan.

"I'm not leaving Michigan," Harbaugh told the Detroit Free Press. "Not even considering it. A lot of this talk is coming from our enemies, from coaches, you know the names. You probably know the names of the top three I'm referring to. They like to say that to the media. They like to tell that to the recruits, to their families, try to manipulate them into going to some other school besides Michigan.

"We know them as jive turkeys. Say it like it is. that's the way it is."

Jive turkeys beware. Spread rumors, get shot down.

Original story

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is not leaving Michigan, according to Jim Harbaugh.

Well, actually, according to a couple Wolverines players, who recounted for MLive.com what Harbaugh told Michigan in a team meeting on Tuesday.

"He said '[I'll keep this] short, sweet and to the point: I'm not leaving,'" defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow shared. "He said [the NFL rumors] are 'lies made up by our enemies.' ... He said, 'You're stuck with me."

Confirmed offensive lineman Erik Magnuson: "He said he's staying here, he ain't going nowhere. A lot of it, unfortunately, is just distractions caused by -- some of it's by other teams. And it hurts in recruiting, I think. If they're saying 'Jim Harbaugh's going to the NFL' some recruits will think there's no stability in the coaching job at Michigan. A lot of it is created for a distraction [for] recruiting. I can't see him going anywhere, this is where he wants to be."

Harbaugh was basically the first coach to be rumored as a candidate for the Rams after Los Angeles fired Jeff Fisher, who was 4-9 in 2016, 31-45 with the Rams and had not posted a winning record since 2008. His name was first brought up by the MMQB's Albert Breer, who called it a "very real" possibility.

The related accusation made by Harbaugh is the same one used by Florida coach Jim McElwain, who insisted that rumors about him being interested in the Oregon job were likely from his program's rivals as a means of hurting the Gators in recruiting.

Most close to Harbaugh and around the Michigan program believe he is there for the long haul. That's not to say he will never leave the Maize and Blue, but even for a coach like Harbaugh who has jumped around in his career, he seems to be on the verge of building something special through just two years with the Wolverines.