For the second year in a row, Jim Harbaugh is holding satellite football camps in the SEC's backyard. The University of Michigan head coach is returning to Bob Jones High School in Madison, Ala., on June 6.
Harbaugh and the Wolverines spent their spring break at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., much to the SEC's ire. By the NCAA's policies, satellite camps are completely legal under certain circumstances, but the SEC has taken exception with coaches from other conferences using them to recruit in their fertile territory.
One of Harbaugh's satellite camps last spring was at the Madison, Ala. high school, and Bob Jones head football coach Kevin Rose confirmed Harbaugh would be returning. Rose also said he only sees the satellite camps as an opportunity for high school players to get valuable exposure.
"It gave me no pause whatsoever," Rose said. "To have a storied program like Michigan come to your campus and have kids be able to work one-on-one with their coaches, it's all positive for Bob Jones High School. It's not every day Michigan comes to your campus. We're excited."
The SEC asked the NCAA last month to block Harbaugh from taking his team to Florida for infringing on his players' time off from football. The NCAA stated it could not do so, but noted they are working on passing rules that would prohibit such trips in the future.
While at the IMG Academy, Harbaugh announced he would hold an open practice Friday, to which certain college football coaches indicated they would be interested in attending, though they may have been joking. Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said he formally sought permission to attend, but acknowledged the NCAA probably would not allow it.
Sure enough, the NCAA's director of enforcement for football development, Chris Howard, noticed the chatter and stated the NCAA rules would prohibit other coaches from coming to Harbaugh's open practice.
In addition to California and Texas, the South has one of the deepest pools of talent for high school football players. Big Ten coaches like to hold satellite camps in those areas, particularly the South, to get a firsthand look at high school prospects they otherwise may have a disadvantage in recruiting.
But Harbaugh made headlines last spring not only for holding the satellite camps, but for participating in drills and practices, sometimes without a shirt, but always donning those Wal-Mart khakis of his.