Jim Harbaugh is everything Michigan fans wanted. He’s opinionated, he’s loud, he’s imaginative and, most importantly, he’s successful. Since taking over the Wolverines program, Harbaugh has gone 10-3, blew out the SEC East champion in their own backyard and signed a top 5 recruiting class in 2016 which includes the #1 overall player.
But that’s not why he’s consistently being talked about around the country.
Harbaugh has pissed off just about everyone that doesn’t have a maize and blue t-shirt in their wardrobe. And it’s what makes him who he is. A man who’s always pushing the limits and finding new ways to improve his team while, somewhat, stepping on the toes of everyone else.
Whether it’s been his Twitter presence and non-filter responses to coaches or his satellite recruiting and training camps, he’s pissed off coaches from just about every major conference.
Good! That’s what Michigan needed and that’s what those sticks in the mud deserve.”
Sorry, was just trying to guess what at least 10 responses to this post would be. How’d I do? Let me know.
Anyways, back to my point. What Harbaugh is doing, I agree with 100%. I believe satellite camps for both his team and for recruits are perfectly fine and should be completely legal. The NCAA is all about helping and providing kids and student-athletes the opportunities to succeed on and off the field, and that’s exactly what Harbaugh’s camps are providing.
But is there a downside to his “IDGF” mentality? Possibly.
Though Michigan’s future schedules in the next couple seasons are nearly set, there’s a possibility coaches at other top programs fight back by not agreeing to play the Wolverines.
But how would this hurt Michigan? Well, IF coaches have a say in things and somehow talk their athletic directors into keeping UM off their schedule, this could really impact Michigan’s strength of schedule in the not-so-distant future. And with the CFB playoff, SOS is extremely important.
Now, do I believe this would really happen? No, it’s very unlikely. Michigan is a powerhouse, blue blood program with one of the largest alumni bases and fanbases in the country which means a ton of money for whichever program puts them on their schedule. Add in the likelihood of Harbaugh keeping UM near the top of the CFB polls from here on out and even if the SEC or ACC fight back against Harbaugh, the Pac12 or Big12 would happily pick up the scraps.
If you’ve learned anything from the satellite camp ban and almost every other decision from people in the NCAA, money is all that matters. That’s the main reason this is unlikely to happen. But it’s something to think and talk about during the offseason.
So, what do you think: Could some SEC coaches (who have been avoiding playing top B1G schools in home and home series for years; props Arkansas) or ACC coaches stop their teams from playing against Michigan because of Harbaugh’s antics? Let me know if the comment section below!
Photo Credit: David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire
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