Former Michigan Staffer Reveals Dubious Culture Under Jim Harbaugh

Former Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh is finding himself in the middle of controversy.

Jan 13, 2024; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh speaks during the national championship celebration at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports / Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports

The Michigan Wolverines are in some pretty hot water right now, and even though Jim Harbaugh is no longer their head coach, he is a central figure in the controversy.

While Harbaugh has staunchly denied having any knowledge of Michigan's alleged sign stealing, he has been hit with a four-year show-cause penalty for recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period.

A former Michigan recruiting director has also revealed some pretty damning details about Harbaugh, alleging that he created a rather questionable culture at Ann Arbor.

The recruiting director says that Harbaugh pressed him to "get guys to campus" and added that "the culture (in the football program) wasn't to be safe; the culture was to go up to the line and cross it if you had to," via Chase Brown of Eleven Warriors.

The NCAA has found two instances of Harbaugh having in-person meetings with recruits during the pandemic, the first of which occurred in February 2021.

As far as the sign-stealing case, Michigan has yet to been slapped with any penalties. Neither has Harbaugh, who is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Harbaugh has refused to apologize for any involvement in the alleged sign-stealing scandal, saying that he "did not participate" and "was not aware nor complicit in those said allegations."

The 60-year-old took the Wolverines coaching job in 2015 and served as head coach for nine seasons. He capped off his tenure at Ann Arbor with an undefeated national championship campaign this past year.

Harbaugh went 92-31 (including bowl games) throughout his tenure at Michigan.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have lost each of the last three meetings to the Wolverines. They will battle Michigan again on Nov. 30.