Paul Finebaum: Why 'Uncle T' Michigan booster could be Jim Harbaugh's biggest nightmare

It seems to be up in the air whether or not Jim Harbaugh will return to Michigan after the 2023 season. SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum believes Michigan booster ‘Uncle T’ could have an impact on that.

‘Uncle T’ reportedly helped fund Michigan’s sign-stealing efforts over the past few years.

Finebaum joined The Tim May Show earlier this week and said he wouldn’t be surprised if the booster gives information to the NCAA that could hurt Harbaugh.

“There are a lot of Uncle T characters in college sports, and at some point you find out… somebody was going to turn. They always do,” Finebaum said. “And that’s really Jim Harbaugh’s nightmare.”

Finebaum added that he isn’t buying the notion that Jim Harbaugh was unaware of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal.

Harbaugh has denied knowing anything about it and has said that he wasn’t aware of what Connor Stalions had going on.

“For him to try to convince people that he sat in the big office and had no idea. I mean football operations, they may be large at Michigan and Ohio State and Alabama and Georgia. There may be all kinds of people around. But the head coach knows everything,” Finebaum said.

“The coaches wanna know. They wanna know everything going on. They’re control freaks.”

Pete Thamel weighs Jim Harbaugh’s future based on outcome of Michigan-Ohio State

ESPN insider Pete Thamel says it’s possible Jim Harbaugh‘s future at Michigan could be determined by what happens against Ohio State on Saturday.

A loss would be detrimental to either coach in this game: Harbaugh or Ohio State’s Ryan Day. But with Harbaugh suspended, a loss could expedite the process for his exit. Or, a win could secure his future with the school.

At least, Thamel expects that to be a possibility.

“I think the results of today’s game loom as a significant pivot point for Jim Harbaugh’s future at Michigan,” Thamel said on College GameDay. “A loss could expedite key decisions from both sides. A win obviously returns Jim Harbaugh to the sidelines here at Michigan. They play in the Big Ten title game, and then they go on to be a favorite, if they beat Iowa, in the College Football Playoff. It would also inherently temper NFL interest in Harbaugh until the season’s done.

“A loss could put things in fast forward, it could open the door to any NFL conversations Harbaugh could have. It would also put Michigan’s decision makers in the crosshairs. They’d need to determine in the upcoming weeks whether they want Harbaugh to return to the sideline despite a suspension to start the 2024 season looming as an inevitability. 

Should Harbaugh be let go or leave, Michigan has to determine if the school can find a better coach. The answer is unknown, but it seems unlikely right now.

“There have been four controversial staff departures for Harbaugh in the last year and there’s also the ambiguity from two ongoing NCAA investigations,” Thamel said. “The other thing Michigan officials would have to weigh is: could they find a better coach? Michigan’s gone 36-3 in the past three seasons.”