"Jim Harbaugh is Jack Nicholson of coaching": Paul Finebaum gives ex-Michigan coach due credit for "pulling off" a transition amid latest controversy

College football analyst Paul Finebaum sarcastically praised former Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh in his latest take on the ongoing Michigan sign-stealing controversy. Harbaugh led Michigan to the national championship last season.

After leading Michigan to a national title, Harbaugh left to go to the NFL, where he took a job with the Los Angeles Chargers. Leaving college to go to the NFL was smart, according to Finebaum.

"I wanted to label him as a pathological liar, as someone who is delusional but I can't do it anymore. I think he is many ways the Jack Nicholson of coaching, I mean he is a man of all seasons, he has so many different lanes," Finebaum said on ESPN.

"Really you can't get mad at the guy, you can't say he ran a program into the ground because they won the national championship, yeah he left a stench behind, but as we said it will get cleared out with very little penalty," he added.

"I'm going to bow at the feet of Jim Harbaugh for pulling off this scam and then acting like he didn't do anything wrong."

Jim Harbaugh says he had no knowledge of sign-stealing

Former Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh says he did not know any sign-stealing was going on while he was coaching the program.

Michigan has been the talk of college football due to the sign-stealing allegations, but speaking at a press conference, Harbaugh says he had no knowledge of anything going on.

"Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. I was raised with that lesson," Harbaugh said, via ESPN. "I have raised my family on that lesson. I have preached that lesson to the teams that I have coached.

"No one is perfect. If you stumble, you apologize and you make it right. Today, I do not apologize. I did not participate, was not aware nor complicit in those said allegations."

Even if Harbaugh was involved, he is in the NFL so the NCAA can't really punish him unless he decides to return to the NCAA.

As the head coach of the Wolverines, Harbaugh led the program to an 86-25 record and made three straight college football playoff appearances, ultimately winning the national title in 2023.