Michigan Football: 3 reasons why Jim Harbaugh owns college football

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Dec 30, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh catches passes prior to the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Offseasons with Harbaugh are an adventure

Most teams spent their spring camps preparing for the fall, not Jim Harbaugh’s club. Instead, they traveled to Italy where they spent eight days touring different tourist attractions.

Even better, Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines also got the opportunity to meet the Pope. Harbaugh subsequently gifted the Pope with a Michigan football helmet and a pair of Jordans. It was the first time an FBS team ever traveled abroad for the spring.

Before that, Harbaugh took his team to IMG Academy in Florida, one of the most talent-filled high schools in the country, where he held spring practice. Harbaugh challenged the conventions of the college football rulebook by hosting practice in front of a number of Michigan recruits early in the offseason.

Harbaugh even went shirtless at a satellite camp he hosted at Prattville High School in 2015. Here, the coach talked about “outsmarting the system“. While some conference rules prohibit coaches from appearing or coaching at camps 50 miles from campus, Big Ten rules at the time did not.

As he continues to challenge the conventions and ruffle feathers, Jim Harbaugh continues to remain one step ahead of the rulebook.

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