According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will not be receiving a new contract from the school that would have made him the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten. The school is reportedly having second thoughts of giving Harbaugh such a lucrative contract, especially one with a large buyout. The ongoing NCAA inquiry into recruiting infractions dating back to Covid-19 was at the forefront of the suspension to start the season. After both sides thought they had come to a conclusion, the NCAA decided to hold-off. Then, Michigan and Jim Harbaugh self-imposed a three-game suspension, hoping to get in-front of potential punishments from the NCAA down the road.
According to a report from the Washington Post, an outside legal firm is holding evidence that could cause further problems for Michigan. The investigation into Michigan started earlier this season, and the law firm has video evidence from computer hard drives that multiple coaches used, not just Connor Stalions. The NCAA has been on the Michigan campus this past week investigating the allegations, while also interviewing football staffers. It should be noted that this process does not only involve assistant coaches, but people employed by the football program, from the paid interns to recruiting assistants.
The law firm has evidence that shows the participants were going to spend around $15,000 during the 2023 season to gather intel on upcoming and potential opponents. The firm also reportedly has photos of the people involved in the operation, with evidence that videos from the games were then uploaded to a computer hard drive used by Connor Stalions and other Michigan coaches.
We are all waiting to see what the NCAA uncovers during its investigation, including the Big Ten conference. If there were to be any type of punishment this season, it would most likely come from the Big Ten, not the NCAA. While all of this is going on, we will have to wait and see what impact these allegations have on ranking Wolverines in future games.