The NCAA has issued a four-year ban on former Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh after determining the coach had impermissible contact with recruits and players during the COVID-19 restricted period.
The organization determined that Harbaugh “engaged in an unethical manner, failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and violated his accountability obligations as a head coach.” The governing body also ruled that Harbaugh was not truthful with investigators about meetings with recruits during the moratorium.
Despite the sanctions imposed on Harbaugh, Michigan revealed plans to welcome back its national championship-winning coach as an honorary captain for the football team's home opener later this month. The Wolverines will host Fresno State on Aug. 31.
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Newly named head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Los Angeles Chargers speaks to the media during a press conference at the YouTube Theater on February 1, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Ronald Martínez/Getty Images)
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel expressed his excitement about welcoming Harbaugh to Ann Arbor to help kick off the 2024 season.
“I'm looking forward to seeing him,” Manuel said during an appearance on the 1 Star Recruits podcast this week. “He'll be an honorary captain for our first game. I look forward to having him back in Ann Arbor for that game.”
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Although Harbaugh will be effectively banned from coaching at the college football level for the next few years, he is currently focused on preparing the Los Angeles Chargers for the upcoming regular season.
Harbaugh led the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff national championship in January. Just two weeks later, he was named the Chargers' next head coach.
Michigan had already been placed on probation for three years and fined. The football program also faces recruitment limitsall of which were included in a negotiated resolution of the case.
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh gives instructions on the field during the first day of training camp at The Bolt. (Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports)
Harbaugh also missed Michigan's 2023 season opener due to a three-game suspension the university imposed on itself as part of its recruiting investigation.
The recruiting case is separate from the NCAA's investigation into impermissible in-person scouting and accusations of signal theft that cast a shadow over Michigan’s undefeated 2023 campaign. The Big Ten Conference ultimately suspended Harbaugh for the final three games of the 2023 regular season amid fallout from the alleged advanced scouting plan.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines walks the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on October 9, 2021 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
Connor's Stallions Stalions, who has not cooperated with the NCAA in its investigation, will break his silence on Aug. 27 on Netflix when the documentary “Untold: Sign Stealer” makes its debut on the streaming service.
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Sherrone Moore was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach after Harbaugh left for the NFL. He served as head coach on multiple occasions while Harbaugh was serving his suspensions last season.
But Moore also faces his own allegations as he is suspected of violating NCAA rules related to the investigation into the sign-stealing scandal, sources told The Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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