At his Saturday news conference in advance of his team's appearance in the Rose Bowl against Alabama on Monday, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh discussed several figures who will be important to the outcome of the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup, from Blake Corum and JJ McCarthy of the Wolverines to Jalen Milroe of the Crimson Tide.
Then he turned his attention to someone who won't be on the field in Pasadena on Monday – at least not physically.
Near the end of his news conference, Harbaugh was asked a question about Jesus Christ and why he is "such a key figure for you."
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As is the case at any Harbaugh media availability, what followed wasn't boring.
"I have a feeling that if Jesus would have come back now in this era, I suppose that many of the biblical analogies and teachings would be about sports, as well as agriculture, maybe a combination of the two," Harbaugh said. "Solomon would have been a great coach, too. I have that feeling. Jesus would have been a five-star. He would have been a five-star player, no doubt about it. He would have been a Hall of Fame coach."
Religion has long been a central part of Harbaugh's public persona.
Harbaugh, who is Roman Catholic, took his team to Italy in 2017, which included a trip to Vatican City during which Harbaugh met Pope Francis . Harbaugh has previously said "faith, then family, then football" are his biggest priorities in life.
He has taken annual trips to Peru for mission work and worked with the Legal Services Corporation , which seeks to "promote equal access to justice in our Nation and to provide high quality civil legal assistance to low-income persons."
Harbaugh has also been an outspoken opponent of abortion, saying at a right-to-life event in 2022 that "I believe in having the courage to let the unborn be born."
Michigan is the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff for the first time and can advance to the national championship on Jan. 8 with a win over Alabama.
The Wolverines have been eliminated in the CFP semifinals the past two seasons: against Georgia in 2021 and TCU in 2022.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jim Harbaugh: Jesus would have been '5-star player', 'Hall of Fame coach'
