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For anyone who has read about the controversy to come out of Jim Harbaugh's plan to hold a series of camps across the country this summer, the father of the Michigan head coach offered some perspective.
Jack Harbaugh, who was an assistant coach for the Wolverines in the 1970s and later served as head coach at Western Michigan and Western Kentucky along with various other gigs from high school to the NFL, told WTKA 1050-AM radio in Ann Arbor on Tuesday that camps -- home or away -- are about opportunity.
"(Michigan's) taking advantage of the rules, and having an opportunity to take their staff and see other parts of the country and allow other youngsters to see what the University of Michigan is all about," Jack Harbaugh said, via MLive.com.
As an example of a camp discovery, Harbaugh mentioned Mike Jolly, an All-Big Ten defensive back at Michigan who went on to play for the Green Bay Packers. Jolly was a Detroit-area prospect discovered by the Michigan coaching staff when he camped with them. Of course, only those close enough to Michigan's campus -- or able to afford a long trip -- can benefit from the traditional camp setting, so the current staff is trying to bring the Michigan experience to them.
"There might be some stepping on someone's toes, and that's fine if that's the case but I think the real purpose of this is to see if there can't be some gems or some players you can uncover out there who may be a factor within your program," Jack Harbaugh told WTKA.
Of course it stands to reason there is a little more to Jim Harbaugh's plans than simply uncovering diamonds in the rough. While he might take a few of those, it stands to reason he wouldn't mind seeing some of the top prospects in the areas he is visiting -- prospects coaches Nick Saban at Alabama surely prefer know more about the Crimson Tide than the Wolverines -- and getting to know them better, either.
Every little bit helps in the world of recruiting.
(H/T MLive.com)
