Just stunning news coming out of the college football world as it seems Jim Harbaugh will coach the entire 2023 season, which is a surprising development that left the college football world buzzing on Saturday.
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel reported that an agreement between the Michigan Wolverines head coach and the NCAA that would have seen him serve a four-game suspension to begin the season has broken down. The punishment was reportedly a “negotiated resolution,” but that deal has reportedly fallen through.
“The deal still needed approval from the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions,” Wetzel reported. “Many believed that would be a formality. However, hurdles arose and the deal is now off, sources said.”
The NCAA’s Committee of Infractions declined the deal, and Harbaugh is now expected to coach the entire season. The new report does not mean Harbaugh is out of the woods. Yahoo Sports notes that the case will “almost certainly” carry into next offseason.
Harbaugh has not been able to discuss the allegations, as he pointed out last month at Big Ten media days, after news of the negotiated resolution broke.
College football fans were surprised by the development:
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Harbaugh was accused of providing “false or misleading information” to investigators regarding impermissible contact with recruits during NCAA-mandated dead periods.
Lawyer Tom Mars, Harbaugh’s attorney, would not confirm the reports when reached Saturday.
“Considering that the NCAA enforcement process is supposed to be highly confidential, it seems odds that sportswriters are once again reporting on developments in this case as though they’re a matter of public record,” Mars told The Detroit News. “I’m not going to confirm or comment on anything other than to express my frustration with this process. That’s all I have to say.”
Once Michigan and Harbaugh receive the NOA, they will have up to 90 days to respond in writing.
Harbaugh is returning for his ninth season in Ann Arbor after he flirted with the idea of joining the Carolina Panthers for an NFL return. He also met with the Minnesota Vikings last year, which he described as a “one-time thing.”
As of right now, it looks like Harbaugh will be on the sidelines Sept. 2 against East Carolina.
