Michigan Football’s Off-Field Matters Can’t Be Ignored

After another successful season, Jim Harbaugh’s program keeps finding itself in the news.

Harbaugh shrugged.

Tuesday afternoon, video went viral of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh doing what he does—grandstanding while recruiting. He was in Bellevue, Wash., at the school of a four-star class of 2024 tight-end prospect who has committed to the Wolverines. This seemed like a fine opportunity to get in a quick farmer’s carry workout, complete with shoulder shrugs, while wearing slacks and a button-down shirt.

What surfaced later Tuesday was not the kind of thing that could be shrugged off. Harbaugh’s co-offensive coordinator, Matt Weiss, was placed on leave amid a university police investigation of “a report of computer access crimes that occurred at Schembechler Hall during Dec. 21 through the 23rd of 2022,” according to The Detroit News. Schembechler Hall is the Michigan football facility. The News also cited sources saying that law enforcement officers visited Weiss’s home Jan. 10. Weiss issued a statement saying he is aware of the investigation and is cooperating.

On the field, Harbaugh has led the Wolverines to back-to-back Playoff appearances :: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

This was the latest development detracting from one of the best two-season runs in school history. Weiss’s suspension joins the following list of off-field stories involving the Wolverines.

• An NCAA investigation of alleged rules violations that includes a Level I charge against Harbaugh for misleading or not complying with investigators. If the charge is upheld, Harbaugh could be suspended for multiple games. The investigation stems from impermissible recruiting during a dead period and using analysts as on-field coaches, which are Level II charges (Level I is the most serious in the NCAA enforcement hierarchy).

• Harbaugh’s back-and-forth interest in NFL coaching jobs. For the second straight year, he has engaged with at least one pro franchise about returning to the professional ranks, where he had great success coaching the San Francisco 49ers. And for the second straight year, Harbaugh has remained at Michigan after considerable drama and consternation.

• An apparent rift between Harbaugh and athletic director Warde Manuel. The relationship has been strained since Manuel cut Harbaugh’s pay as part of an agreement to keep him as coach after a 2–4 2020 season amid the pandemic. He signed a more lucrative contract last year after Michigan won the Big Ten and advanced to the College Football Playoff, and another new deal is expected after repeating both those feats, but there have been reports in recent days that Harbaugh and Manuel are at odds. It seemed telling the news that Harbaugh was turning down the NFL came from school president Santa Ono, who said he had just received a call from the coach, as opposed to coming from the athletic department.

• Star defensive lineman Mazi Smith was arrested during the season on a felony gun charge and missed no playing time. Smith pleaded guilty in December to a reduced misdemeanor charge as part of a plea deal and was sentenced to probation. The charge stemmed from Smith possessing a loaded gun that he owned and had registered, but did not have a permit to carry as a concealed weapon in his vehicle.

It’s gotten messy at Michigan. The program completed its first undefeated regular season since 1997, once again stomped rival Ohio State and has now gone 25–3 over the past two years—those are the reasons Harbaugh is a hero in Ann Arbor. But the sideshow is becoming harder to ignore.

This is a school that has always held an extremely high opinion of itself. Largely, that’s been justified—it’s an elite academic institution. But the whole Michigan Man/Leaders and Best/Win The Right Way aura that has been affixed to athletics is taking on a little tarnish.

Some Michigan fans have spent decades howling about Southeastern Conference teams cheating to get ahead—my email inbox tells me so. Now they have their own NCAA inquiry they’re attempting to downplay. (The violations themselves may or may not be significant, but the cover-up is always worse than the crime. And recruiting during a dead period has been a major flash point for coaches since 2020.)

As for the Weiss situation, the unknown far outweighs what’s known. Maybe it goes nowhere and he’s reinstated, maybe not. Until this is resolved, an administrative leave and police investigation are never a good look for one of the most highly compensated football staffers.

Separate from those two problems, there is the duality of Harbaugh himself. He is the perfect Michigan coach in so many ways—a loyal alum, a ferocious competitor, a big-time winner, an outsized persona. He basks in the bright spotlight that comes with the job. But he’s also quirky, occasionally difficult and can wear out those around him—including those above him on the org chart.

He’s 59 and has been the Michigan coach for eight seasons. In good health, this relationship could continue for another decade or more. Currently 74–25, Harbaugh could end up approaching Bo Schembechler’s school record of 194 victories.

Or this could be unsustainable from a relationship standpoint, for Harbaugh and for those who work with him. When the NFL flirtation arose after the 2021 breakthrough season, it was striking that some people around the program were not only at peace with the prospect of losing Harbaugh but were almost eager for it.

At present, Michigan has considerable on-field momentum. The 2023 team has retained many of its key players, the schedule is manageable and the Buckeyes must come to the Big House in November. The Wolverines should be favored for a Big Ten three-peat, something that hasn’t happened at Michigan since 1990–92.

But Michigan also has considerable off-field mess. Too much mess to simply shrug off.