A school representative confirmed to ESPN that Michigan football has received a notice of allegations from the NCAA regarding the investigation into illegal recruitment and coaching during the COVID-19 dead period. The program faces four Level II breaches, as well as a Level I allegation that coach Jim Harbaugh misled investigators.
Michigan first got a draft of the NCAA notice in January, and the team consented to multiple Level II charges, such as texting during the dead period, analysts coaching on the field, and coaches viewing workouts via Zoom during the COVID-19 shutdown. The university, meanwhile, continues to push back on the Level I violation that Harbaugh misled to investigators.
Harbaugh served a three-game self-imposed suspension at the start of the season in an attempt to avoid the NCAA’s punishment. The program had previously agreed to a four-game negotiated settlement at the start of the season, but it was later rejected by the NCAA Committee on Infraction. The NCAA may eventually approve the three-game suspension as enough punishment, but it will first go through the judicial process.
Michigan has 90 days to reply to the notice of allegations, while the NCAA has 60 days to dispute. The timeframe indicates that Michigan can wait until well after the College Football Playoff to handle the charges. There may also be an appeals procedure that extends well into the summer.
Michigan is also being investigated for coordinated sign-stealing and in-person scouting using former analyst Connor Stalions. The Big Ten imposed a second three-game penalty on Harbaugh at the end of the regular season in reaction to information from the NCAA’s findings. That case is unrelated to the current set of claims.
