Harbaugh Says Satellite Camps are Not for Recruiting

The 2015 college football season does not start for over two months but that does not mean it is not in the news. New Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh has been criticized by many for holding 11 satellite camps across seven states from the east coast to California. However, coach Harbaugh defended his program recently in an interview.

The Wolverines first year coach said his satellite camps were not about spreading a Michigan “brand” of football, but instead sharing with players the love for the game.

He added that in his America, people are allowed to cross state borders, as that is the America he knows. John Harbaugh, the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens and Jim’s brother, agreed saying he was right, it is America and aren’t we allowed to cross over state lines?

He added his brother was giving an opportunity to young athletes to look at colleges that are in other parts of the U.S., especially those that do not have the socio-economic situation to travel across the country with their family to look at different schools.

Harbaugh said it was great. He is able to take his daughter anywhere in the country she wants to look at a campus and to talk to coaches allowing her to get more exposure, but how many other people can afford to do something like that?

However, not every conference agrees. John Swofford the ACC commissioner said that such camps were not healthy in the recruiting process. Coaches as well, including Alabama’s Nick Saban expressed opposition.

This week Dan Mullen the head coach at Mississippi State became the latest detractor for satellite camps by calling the camps run by Harbaugh “recruiting fairs.”

Mullen said that he imagines that if Harbaugh has a camp he would want to coach kids in Michigan, the younger kids in the state to make them better. So why, added Mullen does he needs camps across the country. The only reason to Mullen is obviously the recruiting aspect of it, which is not the correct purpose of having a camp like that.

Of course, coach Harbaugh answered that as well. He said the satellite camps were not anything about rebuilding the brand at Michigan or recruiting. He added that he did not even know what a brand meant. Adding his motivations was about sharing a love for the game of football.

Harbaugh is attempting to revive a football program at Michigan that has had two or three very tough seasons.