Michigan’s coach Jim Harbaugh won’t face 4-game suspension, but what happens now?

Following an official investigation into reports of recruiting irregularities, both the Wolverines’ head coach and the program itself found themselves at the center of a major college football scandal. Now it seems neither may face punishment.

Jim Harbaugh set to coach the entire season

If you caught our previous report, you will know that the NCAA and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh were said to be close to an agreement on a four-game suspension. The agreement was of course rooted in allegations of multiple recruiting violations within the program, in addition to Harbaugh’s less-than-transparent statements to investigators. According to reports, those talks have now ended, and as such Harbaugh is set to coach the entirety of the coming season as a result of no resolution having been found. Indeed, though the deal required only the approval of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions, it’s understood that it “is now off.” To be clear, the case will continue to progress through the disciplinary system, however, reports indicate that the Committee on Infractions rejected the negotiated resolution.

“The Michigan infractions case is related to impermissible and off-campus recruiting during the COVID-19 dead period and impermissible coaching activities - not a cheeseburger,” the NCAA said in a statement, using a reference to allegations that Harbaugh bought a hamburger for a recruit.

So, Jim Harbaugh and Michigan are off the hook?

No. Firstly, you may recall that back in January we reported that the former NFL Coach of the Year (2011) was being investigated along with the program in relation to the aforementioned violations. What followed was a four-game suspension at the start of the season which resulted in his absence from home games against ECU, UNLV, Bowling Green, and Rutgers. While he is now expected to coach every game, it’s important to understand that Michigan’s case and any subsequent punishment will simply be delayed, not voided.

What exactly did Jim Harbaugh do?

In simple form, Harbaugh is accused of providing false or misleading information to the NCAA during an investigation into alleged recruiting violations that were made during 2021′s extended dead period which came as a result of the global pandemic. To that end, the NCAA alleges that Harbaugh lied to investigators during an initial meeting about the violations. Following that meeting, the NCAA, issued a draft of a notice of allegations citing a Level I violation for dishonesty, however, Harbaugh later refused to sign it after admitting that he had in fact been dishonest. Interestingly, Harbaugh has continued to maintain that he was not purposefully dishonest but rather did not recall the events that lead to the various violations. What this likely means is that if/when punishment is handed down, it will almost certainly be harsher than what would have occurred had he cooperated from the start. At this point, we can only wait and watch, but at least the Wolverines have their coach back as they look to win a third consecutive Big Ten Championship.