Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh facing four-game suspension, per reports

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh will be suspended for the first four games of the 2023 regular season as part of an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations.

A source close to the situation confirmed to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Tuesday that Harbaugh and the NCAA are nearing an agreement that would result in missing one-third of the season as discipline for what have been deemed false statements he made during an investigation, a Level I violation.

The news was first reported by Yahoo Sports.

As part of a negotiated settlement between the school and the NCAA, Harbaugh will miss home games against East Carolina, UNLV, Bowling Green and Rutgers to start the season.

Former Wolverines defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, now with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, is also expected to be sanctioned. In addition, current Michigan assistant coaches Sherrone Moore and Grant Newsome are in line for punishment as well.

The proposed resolution has yet to be approved by the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, which could decide to alter the punishments. That process is expected to take several days and possibly even weeks.

Michigan football spokesperson David Ablauf told the Detroit Free Press the school couldn't comment because "it is an ongoing case." The Free Press reached out to Harbaugh's attorney, Tom Mars, for comment but a message has not yet been returned.

Last season was one of the most successful in Harbaugh's eight-year career at Michigan. The Wolverines finished with a 13-1 record, won the Big Ten title and reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff before losing to eventual national runner-up TCU.