The NCAA has made a decision on the punishments for the Michigan Wolverines football program due to their recruiting violations.
Last year, the Michigan Wolverines suspended then-head coach Jim Harbaugh for the first three games of 2023 because of recruiting violations. He was suspended for the team’s final three regular season games because of their sign-stealing scandal.
On Tuesday, the NCAA announced their official punishments for the Wolverines for breaking the recruiting rules during the COVID-19 dead period: Three years probation, a fine and restrictions on recruiting:
“The agreed-upon penalties in this case include three years of probation for the school, a fine and recruiting restrictions in alignment with the Level I-Mitigated classification for the school. The participating individuals also agreed to one-year show-cause orders consistent with the Level II-Standard and Level II-Mitigated classifications of their respective violations.”
Also Read: BREAKING: Michigan Wolverines Lose Another Key Member From Their National Championship Program
In their statement, the NCAA noted that there was one former coach who didn’t accept the agreement. As such, the NCAA announced that “the case will be considered separately by the Committee on Infractions, after which the committee will release its full decision.”
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Despite Harbaugh’s absence and the off-the-field distractions from both rule violations, the Michigan Wolverines finished the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record. They then locked down the No. 1 seed after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes 26-0 in the Big Ten title contest.
Michigan defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 27-20 in the Rose Bowl, Nick Saban’s final game, to reach the national championship game. They cruised to a 34-13 victory over the Washington Huskies to secure the program’s first national title since 1997.
Michigan Wolverines Aim For Back-To-Back Championships
Repeating as national football champions in the NCAA has proven to be a practically impossible task, though the Georgia Bulldogs accomplished the feat in 2021 and 2022.
Michigan will try to join that special group with a new head coach in Sherrone Moore, who went 3-0 as the acting HC last season during Harbaugh’s suspension. Michigan is also losing key players like quarterback JJ McCarthy, running back Blake Corum and wide receiver Roman Wilson, who will be selected in the NFL Draft next week.
Moore and the Wolverines will begin their national championship defense on Aug. 31, when they play host to the Fresno State Bulldogs at Michigan Stadium on Aug. 31.
