Slimmer Harbaugh camp tour still 'great opportunity' for players

It’s not exactly a “swarm tour” as Michigan’s ambitious satellite camp schedule had been the last two summers, but Jim Harbaugh and his staff plan to make the most of the NCAA rule change that affects the number of days coaches can participate in camps and clinics.

Harbaugh and his staff will kick things off Friday, participating in a camp at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, before heading to John Carroll University in Cleveland where Rick Finotti, formerly a Michigan analyst, is now head coach. That three-hour camp begins at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, Harbaugh will head to Bowie State in Maryland to participate in a three-hour camp there. Bowie State head coach Damon Wilson is a longtime friend of Michigan pass-game coordinator Pep Hamilton.

“I think it’s great exposure because a kid may not have the opportunity to get a chance to visit the campus for a tour,” Wilson said of the camp exposure. “They get an opportunity to display their skill set before the Michigan staff and other schools.”

Wilson is expecting between 250-300 kids from Maryland and surrounding states. While Michigan is the headliner, staffs from smaller division schools also will be at the camp.

“This is a great opportunity for the kids,” Wilson said of having Harbaugh and Michigan there. “It really is. Were excited here on campus. Having Jim come here — any time you can have one of the top coaches in the country here, it’s an honor.”

The NCAA has seriously curtailed summer camping for coaches, limiting them to 10 days in June and July. The camps must take place on a school’s campus or in facilities used on a regular basis by the school, and the visiting school cannot be the host.

Michigan apparently will split its coaching staff as it has the previous two years to cover more territory. Harbaugh will not be able to work all the campus but will be at most starting with the first two on Friday. He is then expected Saturday at Bowie State and he and his staff will be part of the Florida Atlantic University camp that is attracting a number of top programs.

The staff will camp three times in Georgia and will make stops in Florida, Ohio, Texas, Maryland, Tennessee, Connecticut and California. Harbaugh is expected to participate in the California camps at the University of San Diego and at USC and UCLA.

MICHIGAN CAMP SCHEDULE

(Subject to change)

Friday

Mercer University, Macon, Ga., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

John Carroll University, Cleveland, 7-10 p.m.

Saturday

Bowie State, Bowie, Maryland, 3-6 p.m.

Sam Houston State, Huntsville, Texas, noon- 3 p.m.

Sunday

Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va., 2-5 p.m.

Valdosta State, Valdosta, Ga., 3-5 p.m.

Incarnate World/Mary Hardin-Baylor, San Antonio, 1-7 p.m.

Monday

Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Fla., 4:30-8 p.m.

June 9

Tennessee State University, Nashville, 1:30 p.m.

LaGrange College, LaGrange, Ga., 9 a.m.-noon

June 10

University of San Diego, San Diego, 3-6:15 p.m.

Sacred Heart, Fairfield, Conn., 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

June 11

USC, Los Angeles, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

UCLA, Los Angeles, 3-7 p.m.

Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C., 2-5 p.m.

achengelis@detroitnews.com

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