NCAA Sanctions For Jim Harbaugh Serve As Warning Signal To Other Coaches

Former Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh received some major sanctions from the NCAA on Wednesday. The punishment will likely be nothing more than a warning to other coaches.

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh against the Washington Huskies in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Michigan Wolverines have taken the college football world by storm when it comes to news for all the wrong reasons. Ohio State fans along with really the whole country know about the sign-stealing scandal and other issues that keep looming around the Wolverines program. On Wednesday, the NCAA finally released some sanctions against former head coach Jim Harbaugh as a result of violating recruiting rules.

The four-year show cause with a one-season suspension for his part in the violations is a hefty punishment. Although the NCAA "dropped the hammer", the actual "nail" in this scenario is no longer coaching at the collegiate ranks. This is absolutely a warning signal to other college coaches, while also trying to keep Harbaugh away from the college game.

Despite receiving a three-game suspension from the Big Ten Conference at the end of the regular season in 2023, Harbaugh managed to lead his Michigan team to the National Championship, won the title by defeating Washington and then fled to the NFL before the NCAA handed down any further punishments.

Now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, Harbaugh might not like the news from Wednesday, but it likely will never impact him professionally. At 60 years old and facing serious punishments at the collegiate ranks, Harbaugh will probably never return to any form of college coaching.

Jun 13, 2024; Costa Mesa, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh at a press conference during minicamp at the Hoag Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Even though Harbaugh will never truly "face the music" when all is said and done, his punishment is a warning signal to other college coaches. The NCAA would like to prevent having future violators of recruiting and inducement rules. In order to deter other coaches from a similar situation, both the four-year show cause and one-year suspension should act as a nice scare tactic.

For Ohio State fans, this is one thing everyone has been waiting on for quite some time. Even though Harbaugh's punishment for this is checked off the list, the assumption is that Michigan's nightmare run of bad news could continue for a while.