PARAMUS, N.J. -- Steve Kanoc strolls in to Paramus Catholic High School at 9:30 in the morning on June 8 to prep for the Next Level football satellite camp later that day. With coffee in one hand, cell phone in the other, and Michigan's coaching staff on its way, he looks on as parts of the staff, some of which had already been on campus for nearly three hours, put the finishing touches on two months of work.
Kanoc, the director of football operations at Paramus Catholic, and the coaching staff have worked tirelessly to ensure this satellite camp goes off without a hitch.
Unfortunately, that hitch arrived in the pre-dawn hours that morning in the form of Rutgers magnets, a Teddy Bear and a note telling Jim Harbaugh to go home.
With Harbaugh's traveling satellite camp road show coming to town, the event had grown bigger and garnered more media attention than anyone ever imagined, and the Paramus Catholic staff knew they were under pressure. A budding battle between Michigan and Rutgers in the weeks prior also helped spark the fire after Rutgers reportedly declined an invite to the Paramus Catholic camp. Rutgers then decided to hold its own satellite camp, a mere 30 miles from the Next Level football camp on the same day at the same time. And then it invited Ohio State.
As 1,400 players and more than 100 coaches descended on the state, and with the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry playing out at satellite camps along I-80 in the Garden State, here's a behind-the-scenes look at the events.
11:38 a.m. ET
Brian Niland, the vice president of operations at Paramus Catholic, and his staff have been setting up for three days to ensure everything goes smoothly.
"We've been getting light towers, striping the fields, getting port-a-johns, food was delivered this morning," Niland said. "Printing is being done for registration, the shirts are taken care of, Bergen Community College is helping with their field. They'll have about 150 kids over there so we had to make sure the logistics of that were taken care of."
Niland is a veteran of such camps and he's one of the more calm members of the staff. He knows that once the college coaches arrive they will take over and run the show.
He lets out a hearty laugh while saying the college coaches better take over because he and Gary Sabak, the marching band director, have been at the school since 6 that morning.
12:05 p.m.
Paramus Catholic president Jim Vail is visibly upset about the vandalism, but he makes light of the situation by cracking a big smile and putting a red cap on his head that reads Rutgers Basketball.
With attendance at the Paramus Catholic camp expected to be more than 600 football players and more than 40 college coaches, Vail declares it the school's biggest logistical project ever.
"We had no idea it would get so big," Vail said. "We thought seven or eight colleges would come, and I said the most kids we should have is 400 because we wanted it organized properly."
"We are way up and above what our responsibilities are for this camp," Kanoc would say later. "Some of the coaches were up all night doing numbers for the 650 kids, I'm helping with concessions and how we set up registration. Imagine dealing with 650 parents with permission slips and online registration."
Staff members walk in and out to get final approval on registration forms, fliers and to update Vail on the progress of the setup. A few of the Paramus Catholic football players walk in to his office, nervously, and talk about the importance of the camp.
Bartek Rybka, a 2017 prospect, holds a few offers but says this camp is an opportunity he has been looking forward to for a long time. Rybka fixes the collar on his shirt at the request of Vail and heads back to class.
1:03 p.m.
Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge is the first Michigan coach to arrive.
Partridge flew 22 hours from Australia on Sunday to do a triple-session camp in Baltimore two days earlier, then another camp at the Hun School, also in New Jersey. Partridge was joined by tight ends coach Jay Harbaugh for camps in American Samoa and Hawaii. They are the only members of the Michigan staff to have coached both overseas and at this camp.
To ensure they are following all the rules, Kanoc ushers a few football players out of the coaches' offices before Partridge enters the building.
2:58 p.m.
Despite so many football staffers, the camp registration, going on in the school's gymnasium, is being monitored by players' mothers and volunteers.
Partridge is discussing the logistics of the camp with Michigan offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch when defensive coordinator Don Brown walks in. Fisch emphasizes to the coaches that the other college coaches need to be instructing and coaching at the camp so no one is just standing around.
Brown cracks a joke. The Michigan coaches have traveled for almost two weeks conducting camps and will have the next day off. Brown says he doesn't know what he'll do with the free time.
"I'm going to wake my kids up and put them through drills," Fisch jokes.
Brown laughs and retorts that he will put his grandkids through a camp circuit early in the morning.
Despite the road weariness, they are surprisingly upbeat and energetic. Partridge is more tense than the others as he still has to instruct the college coaches yet to arrive on their duties, but none looks fatigued.
Even Brown, who calls his colleagues 'bro,' and is almost twice the age of Partridge, at 60, shows no signs of distress. If it weren't for the silver hair, it would be hard to tell that there is a dramatic age difference.
3:34 p.m.
Harbaugh has landed and needs a ride. After conducting a camp in Pearl, Mississippi, that morning, the Michigan coach has arrived in New Jersey and several assistants hustle to make sure there are enough rental cars at the airport to get Harbaugh and the other coaches to Paramus Catholic.
4:12 p.m.
With the assembled college coaches mingling and eating a combination of London broil beef sandwiches and bratwurst in the cafeteria, Harbaugh enters the room.
The coaches are separated from the prospects at the camp who are being herded into the gymnasium. Harbaugh is immediately cornered in a conversation only feet away from the door he entered.
Harbaugh eventually makes his way to the front of the room where the other Michigan coaches are situated. Pitt tight ends coach Tim Salem thinks it would be funny to take a picture with Harbaugh and send it to his brother, Brad, who is the quarterbacks coach at Michigan State.
Salem poses with Harbaugh, laughs and says, "That's going to be hilarious," as he texts the picture to his brother.
4:21 p.m.
After a few interviews, Partridge is introduced to his peers in the cafeteria to explain how the camp will run and what drills will take place. Partridge is the former head coach of Paramus Catholic, so his energy level is visibly high when he starts his speech.
"I'm back at my home school, the juices are flowing," Partridge said. "I want to get out there and I want to get after it. There's going to be 700 kids that are going to be here. Everyone get in there and coach a kid.
"If it's one guy, if you're not in charge of that particular drill and it's one guy, let's coach them up as best we can to get everyone involved here."
The coaches have three fields to work with and Partridge runs through every drill for the entire camp, who will be on what field, how the fields are arranged, what time the drills will start and end and finishes the talk by having the coaches break into groups based on position to discuss who will take the lead.
5:16 p.m.
The campers, their parents and the college coaches cram together in the gym. The coaches are introduced by school and Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi is accidentally introduced as the Michigan State head coach.
Narduzzi looked confused but then smirked as a correction was made from Michigan State to Pitt.
All the other coaches have been introduced but one.
To Narduzzi's left, Harbaugh is swaying back and forth then goes into his famous sideline crouch with his two hands on his knees gazing forward as if he's in a tight game coming down to the wire.
The tension has built to this moment with Ohio State and Rutgers within 30 miles and Harbaugh looks as if he's about to run out of the tunnel at Michigan Stadium to take on the Buckeyes.
He's then introduced and projects that energy directly into the microphone and out to the waiting campers situated in the gymnasium.
"I'm so excited to be here, my heart is pounding right now," Harbaugh said. "I can't even stand still over there, I have ants in my pants. I feel like the way I did when I played a game as a football player and when you coach a game.
"My heart is going like this. Like a thoroughbred in the Kentucky derby. The heart starts pounding, the eyes bulge, they get the froth going and the jockeys say they can even feel the muscles bulging on the horse. That's the way I feel right now."
At first, the campers and their parents are taken aback at the force of the speech, but then settle in to listen.
When Harbaugh takes the mic, the Rutgers Tri-State Showcase has already started and head coach Chris Ash is pacing the five fields vigorously to make sure he fulfills his duties.
Entering the primary field, music is blaring across the Fairleigh Dickinson University facilities and former Rutgers player Eric LeGrand is surrounded by a group of people as the campers run through drills behind him.
The Rutgers camp isn't short on big names either. Former Baltimore Ravens head coach Brian Billick is there. And former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, now in a different shade of red, catches a few double-takes.
6:32 p.m.
Adam Caltury, Rutgers' director of recruiting, briefs Ash on what prospects he needs to see and where they need to make their rounds around the camp.
Ash and Caltury hop in a golf cart to get to another field to observe, instruct and mingle. Even with Urban Meyer patrolling the field, Ash feels like he's the camp director. He is the host. With college coaches, high school coaches and prospects everywhere, the new Rutgers coach got in early to ensure everything was set for success.
"We got in about 2:30, just walking the fields getting the lay of the land," Ash said. "Just making sure everything was set up properly with registration, meeting and greeting coaches as they came, because everyone was coming early."
6:34 p.m.
Ash jumps out of the golf cart and waves to a fan. Caltury isn't far behind and the two walk purposefully to the back of a field. Ash stops at one station to observe the prospects and sees a player he likes.
He tells one of the assistant coaches leading the drill to keep an eye on the player that caught his attention. Ash quickly moves on to the next station to see a whole new set of prospects and coaches.
His focus is on a successful camp and he defines that in a variety of ways.
"You want good players at the camp and then you want it to be extremely well organized so people get reps, people get better and I'm excited that's happened," he said. "I can say that's happened and that we have really good players here, the camp is extremely organized, it's efficient and they're getting a lot of reps."
His goal is to make it to all five fields and every kid they want to see at least twice. So that means he needs to move quickly.
6:50 p.m.
Ash and Caltury get back on the golf cart and head to the final field. A different fan waves and says 'hi' to the coach as the cart is stopping. Ash steps off and puts his arm around the fan.
He is diplomatic at the event and understands his role as the figurehead of the camp and university. He notes that part of his job is to be seen and make sure it's an enjoyable experience. Ash finishes his conversation with the fan and speedily walks to the middle of the field to continue his process.
Back at the Paramus Catholic, Partridge is in the middle of the primary field looking on as the drills are being run by various coaches. Partridge jokes that only Jim Harbaugh can have 100 high school football players organized and running a drill in less than 30 seconds.
7:45 p.m.
Partridge is making sure everything is on time and that the drills aren't overextended. When a drill is finished, he helps herd the players to the next drill and goes back to observing.
For space purposes, the offensive and defensive linemen are working across the street at Bergen Catholic Community College, so Partridge has communication with the coaches about timing via cell phone.
He stops and scans the two fields at Paramus Catholic and quips, "This is insane, but it's great."
He notes how late it is in the day, the amount of travel the coaches have gone through in the past few days and that the energy levels are still high. As if it were scripted, Jimmie Dougherty, an offensive assistant, gives a fist pump and yells out, "Great job," behind Partridge.
Partridge smiles and jogs to another drill.
8:27 p.m.
Dusk is settling and the camp is wrapping up. Partridge is once again herding prospects, moving the group to the middle of the field to listen to Harbaugh and a slew of Baltimore Ravens coaches.
The light towers that were set up earlier in the day are now illuminating the field, putting a spotlight on Harbaugh. In the middle of the crowd, he's wearing a New York Yankees jersey with Derek Jeter's number on the back.
Harbaugh introduces his brother, John, the Ravens' Super Bowl-winning head coach. He asks the campers if they've been reading their bibles. Brother Jim promptly yells out, "Not enough."
John goes on to tell a Bible story about Beneniah, who chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day and killed it. He asks the campers, all circled around him, what they would do if confronted by a lion and answers for them that they too should kill it.
He goes on to relate the lion to dreams and goals and that the high schoolers shouldn't be afraid to chase those dreams.
Jim, as if cued by his brother, calls the camp a field of dreams. Without losing an ounce of energy throughout the day, Harbaugh yells out to the campers, "Who has it better than us?"
"Nobody," they reply.