Michigan football receives official notice from NCAA for recruiting violations

Nearly one year after Michigan football received a draft notice of allegations (NOA) from the NCAA around alleged Level II recruiting violations − which later spurred a Level I violation against coach Jim Harbaugh directly − the program has officially received an allegation of wrongdoing.

U-M Director of Public Affairs Kim Broekhuizen, and Associate Athletic Director Kurt Svoboda both confirmed on Wednesday with the Free Press that the university has received the notice.

MICHIGAN FOOTBALL 2024 RECRUITING CLASS: What to like about each player

Athletic Director Warde Manuel confirmed his department was first warned of these charges 11 months ago.

They received a draft NOA in January and the Wolverines are said to have acknowledged their impermissible Level II violations − which include analysts serving in on-field coaching capacities, coaches watching players work out over video chats, and messaging recruits during a COVID-19 dead period − however Harbaugh has maintained his innocence around his Level I charge, that he misled investigators.

"He really doesn't think he did anything wrong," a person close to the situation told the Free Press earlier this fall.

At one point, the discourse around the subject got so out of hand, Derrick Crawford, the NCAA’s vice president for hearing operations, posted on social media, “the Michigan infractions case is related to impermissible on and off-campus recruiting during the COVID-19 dead period and impermissible coaching activities — not a cheeseburger,”

Now that Michigan brass − President Santa Ono, Manuel, and the U-M compliance department − have received the NOA, they have a 90-day window to respond, in writing, to any charges that have been presented and share thoughts on their merit.

The NCAA then has 60 days to respond to any potential U-M response.

SABIN: Jesse Minter out to prove Michigan football's defense is not just a Big Ten behemoth

At one point this summer it seemed as though U-M may wrap this up. It had reportedly agreed to a negotiated resolution with the NCAA that Harbaugh would be suspended four games and offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore and tight ends coach Grant Newsome each one, but that fell through shortly before Harbaugh took the stage for Big Ten Media Days in late July at Lucas Oil Stadium.

To respond, in what U-M movers and shakers certainly hoped would come off as an act of good faith, university higher-ups opted to self-impose a three-game suspension for Harbaugh to begin the regular season.

Of course, this isn't the only NCAA investigation surrounding Harbaugh and the Wolverines, who not only were busy signing their top-20 recruiting class on Wednesday but also are preparing for their Rose Bowl matchup against No. 4 Alabama.

Word broke of an alleged sign-stealing scandal in mid-October, and within days former recruiting staffer Connor Stalions was identified as the mastermind of the plot, where he would allegedly purchase tickets on the the sideline of future U-M opponents, send them to associates who would attend games and film the opponent's signals on the sideline that weren't available from TV angles.

Stalions would time them up with replays of the game to de-code their signs; something he reportedly did across 35 games at 17 stadiums around the country, which involved both Big Ten and potential College Football Playoff opponents.

This time it was U-M who called for due process, but its own league overruled. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti, armed with evidence from the NCAA, found Harbaugh to be in violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship policy and suspended him for the final three games of the regular season.

A level I infraction, seen as something that could "seriously undermine or threaten the integrity of the NCAA collegiate model as set forth in the Constitution and bylaws" which results in a "competitive or other advantage" could result in a multi-game suspension or other recruiting restrictions.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football gets notice from NCAA for recruiting violations