Just two days after the NCAA hit former Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh with a one-year suspension and a four-year show-cause penalty, news has broken that Harbaugh will return to Ann Arbor as an honorary captain for the Wolverines' season opener against Fresno State on Aug. 31.

Aaron McMann of MLive first reported the news on Friday afternoon.

University of Michigan Director of Athletics Warde Manuel hinted at bringing Harbaugh back as an honorary captain for a game in 2024, but was uncertain of how it would fit in with Harbaugh's busy schedule as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

"If the timing is right, Sherrone [Moore] and I would like to have [Harbaugh] come back as a captain of a game this year, if the byes work out, and as he says, take a long and slow bow in front of all the fans," Manuel said at Moore's introductory press conference in January.

As it turns out, the timing was right for the first game of the season, and the first game the Wolverines will play since they captured the national championship on Jan. 8, 2024.

Manuel confirmed the report on an episode of '1 Star Recruits' podcast.

“He's going to be an honorary captain for our first game. And I look forward to having him back here in Ann Arbor for that game.”

Harbaugh finished his Michigan football coaching career with an 86-25 overall record, and he led the Wolverines to their first national championship since 1997.

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