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Michigan's maize-and-blue satellite camp road trip: Where's Harbaugh?

The satellite camp bonanza began on June 1, and roared through the entire month. And the tornado leading the entire thing, Jim Harbaugh, has not disappointed. It came to an ignominious end Thursday when Harbaugh and the Michigan staff were forced to cancel a camp in American Samoa over fears of the Zika virus.

But the end can't take away what has been one crazy, great month.

Here's a rundown of June, 2016, or, as we'll probably remember it, The Month Of Harbaugh.

The World Tour

June 26: Honolulu
Was Jim there?:
Yes.
Michigan has been to American Samoa and hit the island life again over the weekend. Jim Harbaugh skipped the previous trip but was out in force at his camp at Saint Louis School.

While there, the Wolverines extended an offer to 9th grade QB Sol-Jay Maiava. It was the Class of 2020 prospect's first offer.


June 23-25: Antioch, Oceanside, Los Angeles, California
Was Jim there?:
Yes
The Michigan crew took a swing through California. The visit to Antioch included seeing Najee Harris, the top 2017 running back. Harris has long been committed to Alabama, but took in the camp.

While in Southern California, Harbaugh and Co. held a camp at Oceanside High School. That high school is the Alma mater of NFL great Junior Seau, who was Harbaugh's teammate with the San Diego Chargers.


June 18: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Was Jim there:
Yes.

The Michigan staff returned home for its QB camp. Of course, that doesn't mean there wasn't anything interesting. Like a year ago, Harbaugh put his QBs through some interesting drills which included soccer, fielding ground balls and a bouncy house.

Dylan McCaffrey, a Michigan commit and the top-rated 2017 QB, took home top honors at the event.


June 16: Layton, Utah
Was Jim there?:
Yes.

At the All Poly Prep camp in Utah, Harbaugh, of course, wore a John Stockton jersey. He also offered advice to the players about what they should look for in a coach.


June 15: Pittsburg, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri
Was Jim there?:
Yes.


June 14: Oakland High School, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Was Jim there?:
Yes.

Murfreesboro is 35 miles from Nashville and 181 miles from Knoxville, so prime SEC country. That being said, this camp was largely without the rhetoric as other camps down south. And we're all worse off because of it.


June 13: Houston, Texas
Was Jim there?:
Yes
Two days off, what gives?: Harbaugh returned to Michigan over the weekend, but he wasn't getting R&R. He stopped by the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FireKeepers 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Enough, back to camp: In the least surprising jersey pick of the summer, Harbaugh rocked a red J.J. Watt Texans jersey.

After two straight weeks of camps, maybe Harbaugh would be running out of steam. Not quite.

"Loving every minute of it," Harbaugh told ESPN.com's Sam Khan Jr. "I mean, if you don't like this, coming out coaching and teaching, then you might have gotten into the wrong profession. This profession may not be for you. If you're tiring of doing this or you think this is a grind or you're ready for it to be over, you might have picked the wrong profession."

When asked if he would be doing this again next summer ...

"... I don't see why not."


June 10: Sound Mind Sound Body, Detroit, Michigan
Was Jim there?:
Home-field advantage, you bet.
Who else?: Michigan State's Mark Dantonio, Ohio State's Urban Meyer and Notre Dame's Brian Kelly ... so all of Michigan's biggest rivals.

Sadly, everyone played nice.


June 9: Warren, Ohio
Was Jim there?:
Yes
Signing autographs at satellite camps have been a hot topic for Harbaugh. He signed tons of autographs as the camp tour started, then was told that they were against NCAA compliance rules. It remains to be seen if signing a car is a violation.


June 8: Pearl, Mississippi
Was Jim there?:
Yes
Who else?: Coaches from Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Jersey watch

That is, of course, the jersey of Ole Miss and New Orleans Saints legend Archie Manning.

Harbaugh had a few Deep South Michigan fans in attendance and impressed ESPN 300 players like running back Cam Akers and linebacker Willie Gay.

"I think it's a big deal," Akers told ESPN.com's Greg Ostendorf. "A lot of coaches wouldn't do it. Getting a chance to meet him, see him face-to-face and introduce myself personally, it was a big deal. They made my top 10, so I'll be taking a closer look at them."

Meanwhile, back in New Jersey ...

Paramus Catholic, Paramus, N.J.
Was Jim there?: Yes. After being in Princeton, N.J., the night before, Harbaugh took a private plane to Mississippi and then back to New Jersey.

And controversy proceeded him.

Michigan's New Jersey camp is in Paramus while Rutgers is pairing with Ohio State for a camp on its campus. Well, Scarlet Knights fans weren't happy with Harbaugh in their state.

Fans vandalized the Paramus Catholic field with red R's, a stuffed bear and a letter telling Michigan to go home.

Aside from the controversy, Harbaugh's camp, and that of Rutgers, were huge successes. According to ESPN.com's Tom VanHaaren, some 1,400 players, combined, showed up at the camps. Harbaugh, too, was looking on the bright side.

"It's really not competition at all," Harbaugh said. "As coaches, there's no competing going on. It's just coaching the players, that's all it is, so whatever's best for them I think it's great."


June 7: University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama

Was Jim there?:
Yes
What was he wearing?: Julio Jones Atlanta Falcons jersey. Harbaugh said he wasn't wearing the jersey to troll Saban, his satellite camp foil, but as a shout out to Jones, who is from the Mobile area.

"I've always had a ton of respect for Julio Jones," Harbaugh said told media at the camp. "When I was with the San Francisco 49ers, we were hoping to draft Julio. Always have had tremendous respect for him, competed against him. ... I'm just a big fan of a lot of people."


June 6: St. Frances School, Baltimore
Was Jim there:
Yes
Anybody else?: Hall of fame Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, Maryland's DJ Durkin and coaches from Alabama.
What did he wear?: He started out in a bright orange Cal Ripken Jr. Orioles jersey.

Later in the day, Harbaugh made a costume change, switching to a Ray Lewis Ravens jersey.

Did he say anything of note?: Of course. Speaking with ESPN.com's Heather Dinich, Harbaugh said college football faces undue scrutiny and prejudice. Harbaugh was upset by NCAA compliance shutting down autograph sessions with fans and banning interviews only to allow them a few hours later.

"... It's very interesting. It's very interesting. The NCAA compliance people are here. They've been at every single one. The NCAA has sent at least one or two of their people to each of our camps and we've had one of our compliance people at each one of these camps. That notion that there's not oversight of these camps -- you've seen it with your own eyes, there absolutely is.

"Football gets the majority of the scrutiny and the rules that are intended to hurt the student-athlete and it makes no sense," he said. "That's why I'm pointing this out because some of these other sports aren't getting it."


June 5: Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
Was Jim there?:
'The answer' is yes.
Jersey of choice: Vintage Allen Iverson Philadelphia 76ers jersey.

Iverson, of course, is an all-time great basketball player. In his high school days, however, the Hampton Roads, Virginia, native was an unbelievable high school QB. If you haven't seen the video, or want to watch again, check out the YouTube highlights.


June 4: University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
Was Jim there?:
Yes
Jersey of choice: A Willie Taggart USF No. 1 jersey, honoring the host of the event.
How about some NCAA rules-related controversy: Harbaugh was stopped during his autograph session in Tampa and told he could not continue due to NCAA compliance rules.

Michigan's compliance office tweeted to explain the rule.

Autograph signing and picture taking has been as big a part of the camp tour as the coaching and fun jerseys. Every stop so far has seen Harbaugh spending long stretches doing both. The Michigan Insider's Sam Webb reported Harbaugh's response.


June 3: St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Was Jim there?:
Yes
How about some other Michigan legends?: Will Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard suffice?

Harbaugh was also joined at the camp by Maryland head coach DJ Durkin. Durkin served as Harbaugh's defensive coordinator last season.

Trinity Christian High School, Jacksonville, Florida
Was Jim there?:
Yes, and jersey game is still on point.

Harbaugh's trip to North Florida saw him wearing the Jacksonville Jaguars' jersey of former Wolverines' QB Denard Robinson.

Melbourne, Australia
Was Jim there?:
No
Checking in from Down Under: Nobody has it better than Michigan in Australia. Maybe there weren't any future Wolverines at UM's satellite camp Down Under, but the surreal scenes from the camp show this wasn't just about football, writes ESPN Australia's Niall Leewang.

American Samoa Was Jim there?: No


June 2: The Jackson School, Atlanta
Was Jim there?: Oh, yeah. Did an all-time MLB great make a cameo?: With Harbaugh in a No. 44 Braves jersey, Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron addressed the campers.

Who else was there?: Along with Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi, new Georgia coach Kirby Smart co-hosted the camp.

Did Harbaugh continue his war of words with a certain five-time national champion coach? Um, with a vengeance.

"The issue was what I said it was," Harbaugh said after the camp. "Somebody that had just recently broken rules and has that in their history is lecturing us coaches -- us other coaches -- about potentially violating rules. I just thought it was hypocritical. I thought it was a hypocritical act."


June 1: Indianapolis Bishop Chatard High School
Was Jim there?: Yes
What did we learn?: Captain Comeback, in an Andrew Luck T-shirt, can still throw the fade.

June 1: Springfield (Ohio) High School
Was Jim there?: Yes
Did we get the feels?: Harbaugh, sporting a 'Barrett Strong' shirt, invited 6-year-old Barrett Fitzsimmons to a Michigan game, according to the Dayton Daily News.

Fitzsimmons, whose family are big Wolverines fans, is currently undergoing cancer treatment. Harbaugh told Fitzsimmons, "I want you to come to a game in Ann Arbor this fall. Pick a game, any game you want. We have eight home games. You just keep fighting and smiling, and the good Lord will taking a liking to you, buddy. Come see us in Ann Arbor, and I look very forward to meeting you."