Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh may be barred from attending the Wolverine's opening game due to a three-game suspension, but his players are still showing support for their coach.

Jim Harbaugh is facing a self-imposed suspension by Michigan for violating recruiting rules when he visited with potential recruits during the COVID-19 dead period, and then was dishonest about the events to the NCAA.  In his absence, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is serving as the interim coach versus East Carolina Saturday. Though Harbaugh is still allowed to coach practices, he is not allowed to be present with the team on game day. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore is also missing time for a rules violation suspension.

The Michigan players paid tribute to their coach in several ways during their contest versus East Carolina. Ahead of the game, several players wore Harbaugh shirts to rep their coach. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy took the shirt to another level by adding a piece of tape to the shirt, changing the message to “Free Harbaugh.”

During the game, the offense lined up on their second possession in a train formation, a tribute to a pre-snap formation Harbaugh commonly used, particularly during the 2016 season. During the formation, the players also held up four fingers, honoring Harbaugh's number from his playing days at Ann Arbor.

The silver lining for the Wolverines is that the three games Harbaugh will miss are contests against East Carolina, Bowling Green, and UNLV. These should be easy wins anyway, and then Michigan will have their coach back as they shoot for a championship.