Michigan football: an important detail to remember about the Jim Harbaugh suspension

The talk of the town in Ann Arbor right now is the pending suspensions facing the Michigan football coaching staff. From the four-game suspension of Jim Harbaugh to the former coach Mike MacDonald, who is also facing punishment, the NCAA is clearly trying to prove some sort of point. That said, there is one key detail for Michigan fans to keep in mind — while Harbaugh won’t be on the sidelines for game day during Weeks 1-4 of the coming season, he will still be with his team all week and be as involved as ever.

Michigan football fans should keep this in mind regarding the Jim Harbaugh suspension

Once the Jim Harbaugh suspension is finalized and signed off on, Michigan football will need an interim head coach for its games against ECU, Bowling Green, UNLV, and Rutgers. However, just because Michigan is losing its game-day head coach does not mean that Jim Harbaugh will not be at the helm for the entire season. As ESPN’s Pete Thamel points out, Harbaugh will only be missing the games, nothing more.

“So it’s a little bit of semantic gymnastics here, and Jim Harbaugh will likely miss the first four games,” said ESPN analyst Pete Thamel. “I think an important nuance to where we are … is that he can coach practice — so he won’t be on the sideline for those four solitary days, but he will still be able to shape his team all September.”

Additionally, these four games should be easy victories for the Maize and Blue, regardless of who is coaching, so there is some level of a bright side here. At the end of the day, this is a message from the NCAA, which is trying to flex its muscles, but it should not have any negative impact on the outcome of the 2023 Michigan football season.

Right now, the team’s biggest focus should be on preparation for the season and staying focused on its main goal — winning the national championship.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!