For the past week, Jim Harbaugh has made a number of rather cryptic comments about his future at Michigan while rumors continue to swirl about interest from NFL teams that include the Panthers, Broncos, and Colts.
Well some recent news from ESPN shines some light on why Harbaugh has stopped short of declaring he will, without a doubt, be back in Ann Arbor for the 2023 season.
Late last night, ESPN and other outlets shared that Michigan and Harbaugh are the subject of an investigation from the NCAA for multiple rules violations, and could be facing serious penalties.
The focus of the investigation are multiple violations during the COVID-19 dead period in 2021 by several current and former Wolverines staffers, including Harbaugh where they improperly communicated with 2023 recruits via text before NCAA rules permitted them to.
Yahoo Sports adds that Michigan coaches also met with recruits in-person and watched player workouts via a video feed, which would amount to Level II NCAA violations. The Wolverines self[reported that violation and took a two-week hiatus from contacting those 19 recruits during the fall recruiting period.
Michigan also reportedly illegally used a defensive analyst for on-field coaching, ESPN reports. Ryan Osborn, who currently works for the Ravens and is widely expected to be the top target as defensive coordinator at Charlotte for Biff Poggi, was the staffer involved in that, and Harbaugh and the Wolverines share that they quickly recognized the mistake and quickly fixed it.
The ESPN report adds that Harbaugh could face a multi-game suspension and Michigan is expected to receive a notice of allegations from the NCAA in the coming days, or weeks.
Could a pending investigation like this from the NCAA be the push needed for Harbaugh to explore a return to the NFL? Is it part of the reason for his evasive, and non-committal comments about his certainty to lead the program in 2023?
The interest from the NFL seems real, so only time will tell.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.