NCAA hands Jim Harbaugh 4-year prison sentence for recruiting violations

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The NCAA announced Wednesday that former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has been relieved of his post for four years due to unauthorized contact with recruits and players while access was restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NCAA said Harbaugh, who left his alma mater to coach the Los Angeles Chargers after last season’s national championship, “engaged in unethical conduct, failed to foster an atmosphere of compliance, and violated the obligations of head coach responsibility.”

The NCAA had already placed Michigan on three years of probation plus a fine and recruiting caps after reaching a negotiated resolution approved by the Committee on Infractions in the same matter.

Harbaugh did not agree to the settlement, and denied allegations that he failed to cooperate with investigators. Harbaugh’s attorney, Tom Mars, said the coach was not invited to participate in the settlement process and was unaware that the school and the NCAA had reached an agreement.

“The Committee noted that Harbaugh’s willful disregard for NCAA regulations and his unethical conduct magnified the seriousness of the case and led the Committee to classify Harbaugh’s case as a Class A aggravated misconduct, with sanctions including a four-year show cause order. The show cause order includes a one-season suspension for Harbaugh,” the NCAA said.

The show cause order covers the 2024-28 school year and will require a school that wants to hire Harbaugh to suspend him for the first full season. After that, Harbaugh will be banned from all athletics-related activities — including team travel, training, video study, recruiting and team meetings — until the order expires.

The recruiting case is separate from the NCAA investigation into unauthorized personal disclosures and sign stealing that derailed Michigan’s 2023 national championship season and resulted in Harbaugh being suspended for three games by the Big Ten.

Multiple instances could result in Michigan being considered a repeat offender by the NCAA, which could result in stiffer penalties. The fine has not been announced, though NCAA guidelines call for a $5,000 fine for lesser Level 1 violations.