Michigan football has returned to the spotlight of college football since hiring Jim Harbaugh, and in his first season, his team put up some impressive numbers with a 10-3 overall record and a 6-2 record in the Big Ten conference.
Harbaugh and the Wolverines were big winners on National Signing Day back in February, and many believe that Harbaugh's program is only going to improve with his own recruits in place. The Wolverines coach is receiving plenty of interest from opposing coaches across the college football landscape for Michigan's spring practices at IMG Academy in Florida, and he even fired back at Tennessee head coach Butch Jones through Twitter.
Jones made 20 scholarship offers to teammates at the IMG academy and was one of multiple coaches that were interested in watching the Wolverines open practice Friday. Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema and Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio hinted about attending the practice, and whether they were joking are not is unknown.
While Bielema and Dantonio were fine to get away with their comments, Jones' tweet asking the two other coaches to join them for lunch clearly struck a nerve with Harbaugh. The Michigan head coach used his Twitter account to write, "Suggestion to my Rocky Top colleague, rather than lunch in Florida you might spend your time and focus attending to your present team."
Jones and the Volunteers program are currently dealing with a Title IX lawsuit, and Harbaugh clearly wasn't willing to take any jokes from the Tennessee head coach. NCAA director Chris Howard made it clear that no other college coach would be attending Michigan's practice on Friday, as the NCAA director reminded them that no opposing coaches were allowed at IMG Academy during the quiet period, as many college football prospects attend the school.
Harbaugh and the Wolverines followed the correct protocol by renting the school's facility and worked through the NCAA to pay for the expenses for the practices at IMG Academy. The Wolverines coach has drawn criticism for his decision to bring his players to Florida during their spring break, but there is no doubting that he is changing the college football landscape and is reestablishing Michigan as one of the dominant programs in college football.
