Michigan Wolverines news: Jim Harbaugh punished by 'Kangaroo court', plus more

The NCAA just wasn't going to be satisfied until it got Jim Harbaugh for something, so in a move that's largely symbolic and has no real enforcement, the NCAA gave the former Michigan football head coach a four-year show-cause penalty, that would include a one-year suspension if he ever returned to college football.

Of course, by the time Harbaugh returned to college football, which I doubt he ever would, the NCAA wouldn't even exist. It's not going to exist in a few years, at least in terms of governing major college football and basketball, so what are we doing with this nonsense?

Harbaugh said he didn't recall the meeting with prospects. Meeting with the prospects is a minor violation but telling the NCAA "you don't recall" gets the book thrown at you.

The biggest lesson is that if you don't respect the NCAA (which how can anyone?) you'll get the book thrown at you, even when it's completely meaningless.

And for the record, the NCAA would not have given Harbaugh the same penalty if he were the current Michigan football head coach. The organization is embarrassed as Chris Balas of The Wolverine wrote and they should be. Their conduct has been embarrassing. They have acted with a vendetta and have engaged in selective prosecution.

But go ahead, give the former Michigan football head coach another show cause for "Signgate" because as Tom Mars wrote on Wednesday, this process is akin to a "kangaroo court."

I hope Harbaugh appeals. But I would understand if he didn't want to do deal with an organization that frankly can't be impartial when it comes to him. Also, the infractions committee had two members from Ohio State University on the panel, in terms of being fair.

Michigan football recruiting news

The Michigan Wolverines were hoping for good news with top-100 defensive tackle DJ Sanders. One insider wrote that Michigan football "had a true chance" but on Wednesday night, Sanders, from Bellville, Texas committed to Texas A&M over Texas and the Wolverines.

I had cautious optimism for Sanders, but I'm not surprised he stayed home. It's tough to land top-100 prospects from Texas, but it's something Michigan football will be aiming to do on August 20th. That's when Andrew Marsh, a four-star wideout from Katy, Texas will announce his commitment.

The Wolverines made the top five on Wednesday and are the leader according to the crystal balls and the On3 prediction machine. Texas, Washington, USC, and Colorado are the other finalists.

Michigan Wolverines land top-50 commitment in women's basketball

The Michigan women's basketball team landed a major pickup in the 2025 class on Wednesday night with the commitment of top-50 guard McKenize Mathurin.

Mathurin is out of Oklahoma and is ranked 48th overall by the ESPN women's rankings for the 2025 class. 247 Sports has her ranked seventh overall in the 2025 class.

Mathurin announced her decision during halftime over an Overtime Elite Game. She was previously committed to Nebraska and should be a dynamic 3-point shooter, scorer, and ball-handler for the Michigan Wolverines in another big recruiting win for Kim Barnes Arico.