Michigan has named Sherrone Moore to replace Jim Harbaugh, answering the biggest question looming over the future of Wolverines football. Moore's promotion from offensive coordinator comes after he went 4-0 in the 2023 regular season as interim head coach, first serving as one of a rotating cast of interim coaches and then getting the nod for the final three games as Harbaugh made a Big Ten call-up handed over. Lockdown imposed. He played a big role in establishing Michigan's identity for its championship run as an offensive coach, and now Moore takes the helm at a time when the Wolverines' stock is at an all-time high in the 21st century after making its first national appearance have won titles since 1997.
Moore also takes the helm as the program remains in the midst of two NCAA investigations. According to CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd, these ongoing investigations are a big reason why Harbaugh's contract negotiations with Michigan included immunity from termination in the event he faces serious NCAA violations.
However, Harbaugh is now gone. Moore has already served a one-game suspension as part of Michigan's self-imposed penalties for the initial investigation, but there could be more penalties from this case that he now has to deal with as head coach. There's also the possibility that the NCAA's second case, the sign-stealing scandal, will reach Moore's doorstep as law enforcement tries to determine how many, if any, Michigan coaches knew about Connor Stalion's banned personal scouting plan.
Either way, Moore, now head coach, will have to lead Michigan through any penalties or penalties the NCAA may impose as a result of these two ongoing investigations. So what can we expect and when will we see a resolution for the Wolverines?
Two NCAA cases at different times
Michigan received a formal notice of allegations for the first case on December 20, 2023. The program has been charged with four Level II violations for illegally recruiting and training during the period of COVID-19 deaths, and Harbaugh faces one Level I violation for misleading investigators. The school self-imposed a three-game suspension for Harbaugh and a one-game suspension for Moore earlier in the season to mitigate the impact of possible penalties. However, the NCAA Committee on Infractions rejected a negotiated proposed solution. That means the case will go through the NCAA court process.
Then there's a second – and much more controversial – investigation involving banned scouting and off-campus sign stealing. The NCAA has not yet issued an official notice regarding the allegations, although reports surrounding the scandal suggest there will be more violations.
These potential violations include a Level I violation for Harbaugh under the coaching responsibility rule updated in January 2023. The updated interpretation holds a head coach responsible for any actions by his or her staff that result in Level I violations. This updated coaching responsibility provision reportedly played a large role in why Harbaugh's agent asked to update the language of his contract with Michigan. So if Connor Stalions – the employee who allegedly led the banned educational effort – or another assistant coach is charged with a Level I violation, Harbaugh could also be held responsible.
Harbaugh's absence from the final three games of the 2023 regular season – wins against Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State – was the result of punishment by the Big Ten for a violation of its athletic policies. Michigan could argue that the suspension serves as a mitigating factor in this case, but officially it is the three-game suspension at the start of the season, not the end, that is related to NCAA issues.
Possible penalties for Harbaugh
Taken alone, each of these investigations could have resulted in another suspension for Harbaugh through the 2024 season under the coaching responsibility provision. But on top of each other, the NCAA could have charged Harbaugh as a repeat offender, which is another Level I violation. Multiple Level I violations against a head coach in the past have resulted in the NCAA issuing a “show cause” penalty.
Show cause significantly limits a person's ability to coach at an NCAA facility for a specified period of time because the school must “show cause” to employ a person with a history of violations by making him or her NCAA -Agree to penalties. When the NCAA sanctioned recruiting violations in the Tennessee case, former coach Jeremy Pruitt received a six-year ban, leading to a mandatory one-year suspension if he was hired before the deadline. An exhibition occasion does not prevent a coach from eventually returning to an NCAA school; Houston men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson (five years), Auburn men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl (three years), and UCLA football coach Chip Kelly (18 months) all spent time during a show-cause period a time away from college coaching.
Kelly's case most closely resembles what Harbaugh could face. The penalties the NCAA could reasonably impose would likely continue throughout his time in the NFL, similar to how Kelly's showcase ended when he coached the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.
If Harbaugh had still been at Michigan when he received a season-long penalty or suspension for exhibition reasons, the school would have been forced to decide whether it would be comfortable working with an interim coach for an extended period of time Top to cope with. Harbaugh's stay at Michigan may not have resulted in any additional notoriety, but rather an unpleasant environment in which university leadership had to stand behind a national championship-winning coach who was prevented from practicing due to NCAA violations.
Harbaugh's move to the NFL appears to have saved Michigan from some of those difficult decisions. But it didn't save the Wolverines from penalties in either NCAA case.
What Michigan can expect
Michigan is aware of the details surrounding the Level II recruiting and coaching violations from the initial investigation and will not be surprised by the results of the lawsuit. With self-imposed penalties already in place, this case poses no real challenge to the legacy of the Wolverines' recent success.
However, there are many questions to answer about the banned investigations into personal spying and sign theft. Will the NCAA be able to link the alleged scheme to other employees of the Michigan team? Will any of these employees continue to be employed by the Wolverines if the NCAA issues a notice about the allegations?
With the resignation of Stalions and the firing of linebackers coach Chris Partridge two weeks later, a wave of personnel restructuring had already occurred. Although the school did not comment on the move or provide details, the timing of Partridge's firing was consistent with Michigan backing away from its legal challenge to Harbaugh's three-game suspension at the end of the season. Partridge vigorously denied reports of any wrongdoing on his part, but officially he can be counted as another victim of the scandal.
According to ESPN, the Big Ten's decision to punish Harbaugh under its sportsmanship policy was based in part on “information from NCAA interviews.” Michigan's change in tone from defiance to acceptance was not an admission of guilt, but implied that the NCAA's case had enough evidence to be taken seriously.
It is against NCAA rules to send a staff member to future opponents' home games to scout them and steal signs. One can assume that there will be violations and penalties in this case, but Michigan can take comfort in two things: First, many who may be connected to the plan will live elsewhere. Second, the NCAA's approach to the impact of penalties on current players has weakened in recent years.
Postseason suspensions became less common, eliminating the shameful situation of current athletes having to pay the price — sometimes in the middle of a season — for a scandal that occurred before they arrived at the school. The coaching staff may have to deal with a few fewer scholarships or restricted recruiting and scouting days, but the penalty likely won't be a major burden for the current or future Wolverines.
The biggest X-factor here is freed up victories. It is impossible for us to know the extent of the evidence until notice of the allegations is made public, but Michigan will likely do its utmost to prevent its championship run from being vilified in the record books.
Michigan should (and probably will) make the case that the advantage it gained from banned scouting wasn't great enough to question the results and look to late-season success after the scandal in 2023 against point out the toughest teams on his schedule. That seems like a fair argument, but what matters is whether it's enough for the NCAA, which may not be able to punish Harbaugh in the NFL but can still deal a devastating blow to the Wolverines' record books.