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Michigan football possibly facing punishment for NCAA rules violations

The Wolverines are reportedly in an unknown amount of trouble for NCAA recruiting violations committed in 2020.

Published

3 months ago

January 6, 2023

Nov 5, 2022; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Michigan Wolverines linebacker Michael Barrett (23) returns an interception for a touchdown during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Spor

Though many Michigan football fans would like to forget that 2020 ever happened, the NCAA sure hasn’t. Right now, not even a week after the Wolverines’ 13-1 season came to a close, the NCAA has begun an investigation into recruiting violations committed by Jim Harbaugh and Co. during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period.

What are the violations that Michigan football has been accused with?

According to ESPN, the NCAA will be investigating Michigan’s program for alleged recruiting violations during the NCAA-sanctioned dead period in 2020. This announcement came just hours after Jim Harbaugh publicly dismissed the rumors that he planned on heading to the NFL. Now, the Wolverines are in a tough spot.

The allegations against Michigan football include alleged impersonable contact with recruits during the dead period, as well as the possible use of a defensive analyst for on-field coaching activities. While neither may seem like that big of a deal, these are both NCAA rules violations.

According to sources, Jim Harbaugh could be facing a suspension of up to six games for the alleged violations.

Other information surrounding Michigan’s violations

Although all of this has gone public, there have been no official notice of allegations sent by the NCAA yet. According to sources, the NCAA is drafting a notice of allegations that include one Level I (the most serious level of allegations) allegation as well as four Level II allegations. As of Thursday, Warde Manuel (Michigan’s athletic director) and Jim Harbaugh (the Wolverines’ head coach) have declined to comment on the situation.

Michigan’s 59-year-old head coach has been generating a lot of buzz in the college football world for many reasons as of late — some good and some bad. The Wolverines’ 13-0 start, which included a win over Ohio State and a Big Ten Championship, was the talk of the town in the Big Ten. Michigan’s loss to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl drop the Wolverines’ bowl record to 1-6 under Jim Harbaugh, which needless to say is not a good thing.

Harbaugh has been the subject of a lot of NFL hype as of late, and despite talking to a few NFL franchises about coaching positions, Harbaugh announced that he plans on staying at U-M in 2023. Still, he appears to be leaving the door open for an NFL return at some point by saying he is not sure what his future holds. We will continue to monitor this situation closely as it unfolds — it could play a large role in Michigan’s 2023 success.

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Michigan’s recruiting class shoots into top 3 after series of commitments

The Wolverines’ class ranks among the nation’s best right now.

Published

19 hours ago

March 23, 2023

CJ Mangum

Michigan football top 3 recruiting class

ANN ARBOR, MI — Most Maize and Blue fans have noticed that the Wolverines are getting hot on the recruiting trail right now. As of late, Michigan has landed a number of the nation’s best prospects, and over the past two days alone, Michigan football has pulled two top-ranked four-star recruits from the Buckeye state. Now, with nine players committed for the 2024 cycle, the Wolverines’ efforts have been paying off as they boast a top 3 recruiting class.

Michigan football recruiting class shoots into top 3

On Tuesday, Michigan football landed the highest rated recruit in its class so far: four-star running back Jordan Marshall, who picked the Wolverines over the Buckeyes this week. The day after, Michigan landed another four-star from Ohio: Ben Roebuck, an offensive tackle from St. Edward High School.

The Wolverines’ two commitments this week put the class up to nine commits thus far, boasting an average rating of 90.58 and totaling 165.36 recruiting points. Of the nine commits that have picked Michigan football thus far, six are ranked as four-stars on 247 Sports; the other three are three-stars. Michigan football currently sits at No. 3 in the class rankings, only behind LSU and Georgia of the SEC.

Not only is Michigan’s class a top 3 recruiting class, but the Wolverines also boast the best class in the Big Ten, above schools like Ohio State (15), Penn State (22), and others. Here are the nine players that Michigan football has landed thus far:

Jordan Marshall (RB)
Jacob Oden (ATH)

Hogan Hansen (TE)
Mason Curtis (LB)
Luke Hamilton (OL)

Ted Hammond (DL)
Ben Roebuck (OL)
Manuel Beigel (DL)

Zach Ludwig (LB)

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics 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 Managing Editor 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 steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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Michigan football gets new crystal ball for four-star 2024 wide receiver

The Wolverines aren’t done landing huge prospects yet!

Published

2 days ago

March 22, 2023

CJ Mangum

Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Roman Wilson (14) leaps for a touchdown catch against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second half of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ANN ARBOR, MI — As many already know, the Michigan Wolverines are starting to get red hot on the 2024 recruiting trail. Over the past 48 hours, two major four-star Ohio recruits have committed to Michigan football, and recently, the Wolverines landed another huge crystal ball for a 247 Sports four-star wide receiver recruit.

Michigan football lands crystal ball for 2024 four-star wide receiver

On Tuesday afternoon, 247 Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong placed a massive crystal ball for the Michigan football team. According to Wiltfong (and others), the Wolverines are set to land Channing Goodwin, a top-ranked player in North Carolina.

According to 247 Sports, Goodwin is rated as a four-star recruit and ranks as the No. 241 player in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 38 wide receiver in his class, and the No. 7 player in the state of North Carolina. Wiltfong is not the only insider predicting Goodwin to Michigan, either; so far, Goodwin has four crystal balls, all of which are for the Michigan football program.

In addition to 247’s crystal balls, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Michigan Wolverines a 97.3% chance of landing the four-star wideout. As Michigan continues to prove that it can successfully throw the ball and win titles, the Wolverines will keep landing some top-ranked receivers and quarterbacks; now, Michigan football needs to turn the crystal ball predictions into a full on commitment from Goodwin.

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Michigan football lands four-star offensive lineman from Ohio

The Wolverines landed a major commitment on Wednesday

Published

2 days ago

March 22, 2023

CJ Mangum

Michigan football lands four-star lineman

Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh gestures from the sidelines against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second half of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ANN ARBOR, MI — On Wednesday, the Michigan Wolverines landed yet another massive commitment. As of late, the Michigan football team has been seeing tons of great recruiting news — from major crystal balls to a series of huge commitments, Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines are getting back on the saddle when it comes to high school recruiting. Today, Michigan landed a four-star offensive lineman from the state of Ohio.

BREAKING: 2024 OT Ben Roebuck tells me he has Committed to Michigan!

The 6’7 315 OT from Lakewood, OH chose the Wolverines over Tennessee, Penn St & others

“I was an OSU fan growing up, but then I grew up and realized that Michigan was the place to be.”https://t.co/x6K3QYHSya pic.twitter.com/hfZzzHjHlO

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 22, 2023

Michigan football lands massive commitment from four-star lineman from OH

Ben Roebuck — a four-star offensive tackle from St. Edward High School in Ohio — has committed to the Michigan football team. Roebuck is a massive offensive tackle recruit; he stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs in at 320-pounds, and is ranked as the No. 12 player in Ohio and No. 31 offensive tackle by Rivals.

Here is what the four-star lineman had to say about Michigan football and why he committed (per On3):

“It really just felt like home. I’ve been to the majority of the Big 10 schools and seen everything and the way Michigan just does it is better. They go all out for everything that they do. After being there you really understand why they’re the winningest program ever and that they’re going to keep it that way.

“I’d say I’m closest with either Coach Clink or Coach Moore. Coach Clink’s one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever met. He’s all around a great dude. Coach Moore is the one who offered me and who I committed with and he’s been on me for months now about committing and it finally paid off … I was an OSU fan growing up, but then I grew up and realized that Michigan was the place to be. Go Blue.”