Report: Michigan officially receives Notice of Allegations from NCAA

Michigan has received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach reported. The Wolverines committed four Level II violations and one Level I violation.

Level II violations are considered relatively minor, but the Level I violation is serious. That’s against coach Jim Harbaugh, who provided “false or misleading information” to investigators, Auerbach said.

News of the Level I violation broke earlier Thursday night when Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wetzel reported details of the NCAA’s investigation. Harbaugh could be looking at a potential multi-game suspension as a result.

The Wolverines are under investigation for letting an analyst coach players and impermissible text messages, Auerbach and Austin Meek reported. As it turns out, those text messages were sent during the COVID-19 dead period, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg and Mark Schlabach reported Thursday night.

The Athletic initially reported Michigan self-reported the violations.

“Three sources who have knowledge of the investigation confirmed it included self-reported violations involving an analyst coaching players on the field,” Auerbach and Meek wrote. “It is unclear what the punishment from the NCAA would be.”

Jim Harbaugh: ‘I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023’

News of the violations came the same day Harbaugh released a statement regarding his future at Michigan next year. His name is once again coming up in NFL circles, one year after interviewing with the Minnesota Vikings, and he reportedly spoke with the Carolina Panthers recently about their opening.

In his statement, Harbaugh said he “expects” to be coaching at Michigan next year.

“I am aware of the rumors and speculation over the past few days,” Harbaugh said. “College and NFL teams have great interest in all our personnel, from players to coaches to staff, and I truly believe that is a testament to the strength of our University of Michigan football program. As I stated in December, while no one knows what the future holds, I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023.

“I have spoken with President Santa Ono and Athletic Director Warde Manuel and appreciate their support of me and our program. Our mission as Wolverines continues, and we are preparing for the 2023 season with great passion and enthusiasm. As our legendary coach Bo Schembechler said … ‘Those who stay will be champions.’”