Big Ten Roundup (July 26): Jim Harbaugh to be Suspended 4 Games, Illinois Hires Jim Leonhard

Jim Harbaugh and the NCAA are working toward a suspension for the Michigan head coach for the first four games of the 2023-24 college football season, while Illinois and Bret Bielema hired former Wisconsin defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jim Leonhard as a senior football analyst.

The NCAA is working toward suspending Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh for the first four games of the 2023-24 season. The impending suspension is a result of false statements Harbaugh gave to investigators who were looking into the program for alleged recruiting violations committed back in 2021. 

Elsewhere in the conference, Illinois announced the hiring of Jim Leonhard as a senior football analyst. Leonhard was Wisconsin's defensive coordinator from 2017-22, and served as the Badgers' interim coach during the final seven games of the 2022-23 regular season after head coach Paul Chryst was fired. 

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten roundup: 

Jim Harbaugh Suspended

The most Michigan man to ever Michigan man won't be on the Wolverines' sideline for the first four games of the 2023-24 season. 

As first reported by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, Harbaugh and the NCAA are working toward finalizing a four-game suspension as a negotiated resolution for false statements Harbaugh gave to investigators. 

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and NCAA are working toward a negotiated resolution that is expected to see him suspended four games this season in penalties stemming from alleged false statements he originally made to investigators, sources tell @YahooSports.https://t.co/4oJYVNxmFu

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 25, 2023

The Michigan head coach, entering his ninth season in Ann Arbor, was being investigated for alleged recruiting violations committed in 2021 during an extended recruiting dead period brought on by Covid-19. 

Harbaugh lied to NCAA investigators about the violations, and he subsequently refused to admit that he lied to an NCAA staff when pressed on it, according to Dellenger's report. 

The initial recruiting violations committed by Harbaugh and Michigan were Level II violations, a step below a Level I violation, and were acknowledged by Harbaugh. However, lying to investigators is considered a Level I violation by the NCAA, and could carry up to a six-game suspension and future recruiting restrictions, according to the organization's statutes. 

With the suspension, Harbaugh would miss Michigan's four opening games against East Carolina, UNLV, Bowling Green and Rutgers. All four of those games are at home in Ann Arbor for the Wolverines.

For more on Harbaugh's suspension, check out the full story on our sister site Wolverine Digest. 

Illinois Hires Jim Leonhard

While it was no guarantee that Wisconsin would retain Jim Leonhard as its head coach following the 2022-23 season, almost no one could have predicted he'd spend the 2023-24 season as a senior football analyst at Illinois. 

Welcome to the #famILLy, Jim Leonhard!#Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/EpTWrCrhVf

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) July 25, 2023

Leonhard finished with a record of 4-3 in his seven games as interim head coach for Wisconsin last season, and in the years prior, he was the mastermind behind several elite Badger defenses. 

During Leonhard's tenure, Wisconsin finished in the top five in the entire country in yards allowed per game four times in six seasons, including three straight top five finishes from 2019-21. Additionally, the 2021 Wisconsin defense finished first in the entire country, only surrendering 235.3 yards per game, far and away the lowest mark in college football that year. 

Leonhard's proficiency as a defensive coordinator is well-known, and he has been up for several head coaching jobs at the FBS level in past years. It would not have been outlandish for Wisconsin to hang onto Leonhard and promote him to full-time head coach, but the chance to hire Cincinnati's Luke Fickell was just too great an opportunity for the Badgers to pass up. 

Additionally, there was some thought that Leonhard would take the entire 2023-24 season off following off-season hip surgery. 

Bielema and the Fighting Illini allowed the fewest points per game in the entire country last season at just 12.8, and now add a highly coveted defensive coach in Leonhard to ensure the success that Illinois enjoyed last season continues. 

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