The Big Ten Will Suspend Jim Harbaugh From In-Game Coaching Through The Rest Of The Regular Season

Amid a sign stealing scandal that has become the talk of the college football world over the last few weeks, questions have popped up about what the future would hold for Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan football program. On Friday, we learned that the Big Ten is taking immediate action against the Wolverines’ coach, as Harbaugh will be suspended by the Big Ten from coaching games on the sideline through the rest of the regular season.

The news was reported by Pete Thamel of ESPN, who added that Harbaugh will still be able to coach the team during the week. Austin Meek of The Athletic confirmed Thamel’s reporting.

Not long after, the league put out a statement confirming Harbaugh’s suspension for a violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy.

As a penalty imposed on the institution, the University football team must compete without its Head Football Coach for the games remaining in the 2023 regular-season, effective immediately. This disciplinary action shall not preclude the University or its football team from having its Head Football Coach attend practices or other football team activities other than the game activities to which it applies. For clarity, the Head Football Coach shall not be present at the game venue on the dates of the games to which this disciplinary action applies.

Harbaugh’s suspension comes days after the recruiting staffer at the center of the scandal, Connor Stalions, resigned on Friday after previously being suspended by the program. According to reports, Stalions was part of widespread in-person scouting and sign stealing operation that involved purchasing tickets for teams on Michigan’s schedule and recording the coaches on their sidelines as they signaled in plays. This went beyond just their Big Ten opponents — the scouting network allegedly targeted potential College Football Playoff opponents last year, as well. And at the end of October, images showed that someone who looked an awful lot like Stalions appeared on Central Michigan’s sideline during their game against Michigan State.

Reports indicate that the alleged in-person scouting and sign stealing operation began in 2021. Since then, the Wolverines have won the Big Ten and made the College Football Playoff twice. In a statement released on Oct. 19, Harbaugh denied any knowledge of an illegal off-campus sign stealing operation.

The news of Harbaugh’s suspension comes at a time when Michigan might have the best team in all of college football. Following a win over Purdue on Saturday, the Wolverines moved to 9-0 on the year, and sat in third place in the inaugural College Football Playoff rankings this year. The news of the suspension comes at a tricky time for Michigan, as the team is on its way to Happy Valley for a top-10 matchup against Penn State. It will mark the biggest test of the season for the Wolverines, which have played the easiest schedule in the country up to this point of the season, per ESPN’s FPI.

As of this writing, there is no word on whether Michigan will attempt to fight the suspension. While this punishment comes via the Big Ten for violations of its Sportsmanship Policy, the NCAA is in the process of conducting its own investigation. This is not the first time Harbaugh has received a suspension during the 2023 season, as he missed the first three games of the year due to a self-imposed suspension by the university regarding alleged recruiting violations — it is worth mentioning that Michigan will not learn of the NCAA’s ruling in that case until sometime in 2024.