Although Michigan is without head coach Jim Harbaugh for its season opener against East Carolina, Wolverines players made sure to acknowledge him in the opening minutes of Saturday’s game.
The Wolverines’ program imposed a three-game suspension on Harbaugh after he allegedly broke NCAA rules for participating in Zoom sessions with recruits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Harbaugh, who has denied the allegations, has named four different interim head coaches for the three games he will miss.
In Saturday’s game against the Pirates, all eleven Wolverine players on offense entered a single-file line and held up four fingers as a tribute to their head coach before lining up for the next play. (Harbaugh wore No. 4 as a player for the Wolverines in the 1980s.) It was one of many ways Michigan players are keeping Harbaugh on their mind in his absence.
Prior to Saturday’s game, Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy exited the team’s bus donning a “Free Harbaugh” T-shirt. He also wore it on the field as Michigan went through warmups.
Michigan players raised four fingers in the air to honor suspended coach Jim Harbaugh
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 2, 2023
(via @BigTenNetwork)pic.twitter.com/G7S69cejML
McCarthy’s teammates also wore articles of clothing with Harbaugh’s name, sending a message of support for their coach. Despite Harbaugh’s absence, the Wolverines seized control of their game against the Pirates and led 23-0 at halftime.
Harbaugh will be eligible to return to the sideline on Sept. 23 when the Wolverines face Rutgers to open Big Ten play.
