Jim Harbaugh won’t be back for 2024 Michigan football season opener after all

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — They say timing is everything and when it came to the timing of the revelation that Jim Harbaugh was coming back to Michigan football to be the honorary captain for the season opener, pundits of the Wolverines were particularly upset. Harbaugh was just issued a four-year show cause and a one-year suspension by the NCAA due to his alleged obfuscation with the governing body regarding what otherwise would have been lower-level recruiting violations. Michigan didn’t announce Harbaugh would be returning as an honorary captain, it was revealed on a podcast with Warde Manuel, which was recorded before the NCAA issued its ruling that it would give Harbaugh a show-cause. However, in the eyes of many, this was Michigan thumbing its nose at the NCAA and the system. However, new head coach Sherrone Moore says that the decision to bring Harbaugh back this year was made shortly after he was installed as the leader of the program. And given that the NFL doesn’t start its season until a week after college football, the timing — for Harbaugh — would have made sense. “I actually just talked to coach yesterday, and really what went into the decision is — we made that decision like in March, or, I think it was January, February — actually January, February,” Moore said. “So it’s really to honor him, of what he’s done in Michigan for Michigan. I mean, came back for nine years and took us to where we are now. So it was really to honor him, it’s nothing besides that.” That said, Harbaugh’s not coming. Moore continued, noting that Harbaugh told him on Monday that he feels like it’s better for him to remain in Los Angeles as the Chargers prepare for their season. Michigan will still honor him, but will do so with some of his former players as well as his parents. “Yesterday he called me, told me that he didn’t feel that he could leave his team in true Coach Harbaugh fashion, and wanted to be in the foxhole with his team and not want to make it look like he was taking a deep, long bow,” Moore said. “So he’s not going to make it for the game, but we’re going to have some of our guys that are there, and then Jack and Jackie Harbaugh are going to take his place. So super excited about that.” Certainly, this won’t quiet the naysayers and there will likely be spin coming the other way. But, nonetheless, they got their wish that Harbaugh will not be hoisted up on anyone’s shoulders, much like Ohio State’s Jim Tressel was after he resigned from the Buckeyes after NCAA violations of his own.