Jim Harbaugh will not be Michigan honorary captain Week 1 after all

Former Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh has backed out of being the school's honorary captain for its 2024 college football season opener against the Fresno State Bulldogs on Aug. 31.

Current coach Sherrone Moore, who succeeded Harbaugh after he left for the Los Angeles Chargers in January, told reporters Tuesday that Harbaugh called and said he does not want to be away from his new team that long so close to his first season back in the NFL.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel had previously relayed the news that Harbaugh, whose nine-year tenure leading his alma mater culminated in a national championship in January, was set to be the honorary Week 1 captain in the team's first game since its clinching the title.

"I look forward to seeing him in September and I look forward to having him back here in Ann Arbor for that game," Manuel said on the latest edition of the "1 Star Recruits" podcast. "A lot of respect. That man was the captain of our [1986] team and led us to the Rose Bowl."

In what would Harbaugh's final season on the sidelines for Michigan, the Wolverines won their third straight Big Ten title, claimed the No. 1 seed in the 2024 College Football Playoff and then went on to win the national championship.

Michigan went a combined 89-25 under Harbaugh from 2015-2023, including six 10-plus-win seasons, three College Football Playoff appearances, three Big Ten titles and three consecutive wins over the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2021-23.

As a player, Harbaugh was Michigan's primary quarterback from 1985-86 and was on its roster from 1983-86. Michigan won 10-plus games in each of Harbaugh's two full seasons under center. He then went on to be a first-round pick in the 1987 NFL Draft.

At the same time, Harbaugh has been under fire lately, as he was recently implicated in Michigan's sign-stealing scandal, but denied wrongdoing on his end. He was also suspended from coaching in the collegiate ranks for one year — should he ever return to college — given findings that proved he had impermissible contact with players and recruits in 2020, when access was restricted due to COVID-19. Harbaugh was also given a four-year show-cause. Moore, who was previously offensive coordinator under Harbaugh before being promoted to replace his former boss, has also been implicated in both scandals but has yet to be formally punished.

As for Michigan's Week 1 opponent, Fresno State is coming off a 9-4 season (4-4 in Mountain West play) and a win over New Mexico State in the New Mexico Bowl. The Wolverines' first game on FOX comes on Sept. 7 when they host the Texas Longhorns on "Big Noon Saturday."

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