Not even a month ago, Jim Harbaugh was seen as a college football head coach who could retire on his own accord at his alma mater. Now, the longtime head coach of the Michigan Wolverines could be on his way out of Ann Arbor at the end of the season. Michigan may be undefeated and the No. 2 team in the nation, but an embarrassing sign-stealing scandal could have him resign, or just be let go.
Whether it be Connor Stalions organizing the in-person advanced scouting, or Harbaugh already having been in hot water with the NCAA over some burgers, this is not getting any better. As if we needed another juicy wrinkle in all this, what if I told you there was one man responsible for these leaks, as well as why Harbaugh did not get the Minnesota Vikings' head-coaching vacancy in 2022?
Well, get a load of what Michigan insider John U. Bacon had to say on Morning Juice on 97.1 FM in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday. Bacon is as connected as anyone to the Michigan program, so when he told Morning Juice co-hosts Brandon Beam and Bobby Carpenter that a U of M alum by the name of Jim Stapleton was probably the man leaking the information, that caught all of us totally off-guard.
Stapleton is a Michigan alum, is on the NCAA Infractions Committee, and absolutely hates Harbaugh.
Stapleton is also a minority owner of the Vikings, a job that Harbaugh was supposedly in the mix for.
While there is no reason to trust the NCAA in this, Harbaugh's tenure might come down ... to Michigan.
Michigan insiders says U of M alum is leaking all the Jim Harbaugh info
Look. I am going to let the Big Ten, NCAA and Michigan do their due diligence in all this. While the nature of this scandal is pretty funny, it is a horrific look for everyone involved. It is funny because Harbaugh is an eccentric and eclectic individual, but it is a terrible look because sign-stealing, in this manner, is comprising the integrity of the sport itself. Advanced scouting is still against the rules, y'all.
Truth be told, Stapleton is not the only notable Michigan person Harbaugh has butted heads with. Bacon said over the airwaves to Beam and Carpenter that Harbaugh's working relationship with Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel is "frosty, at best." Talks of Harbaugh getting a massive extension may have had more to do with winning and president Santa Ono than Manuel's approval.
Ultimately, it seems as though Harbaugh has clearly overstayed his welcome in Ann Arbor. He burns hot, which is why he has never stayed anywhere for very long in his coaching career, or even his playing career for that matter, outside of his current run at Michigan that is coming up on a decade. All we know is that the future of the Michigan program is uncertain with Harbaugh potentially leaving.
Not since Tennessee wanted to be done with Jeremy Pruitt yesterday have we seen anything like this.