The Michigan Wolverines will be holding spring practices at IMG Academy in Florida, in what many believe is an obvious effort to expand the recruiting reach for the program.
That decision to take advantage of an NCAA loophole has led to plenty of criticism from coaches and conferences around the country, so it was only a matter of time until head coach Jim Harbaugh responded to those comments.
Finally, the time has come.
Harbaugh took to Twitter to defend the IMG Academy trip by comparing the strategy to that of which basketball programs use when they take their team overseas for preseason exhibitions.
There R B-Ball teams & other NCAA teams that spend summer breaks traveling to countries around the world for team bonding & team development
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) February 20, 2016
It's an amazing opportunity for the S.A. – ACC teams may have experienced such trips. How is football traveling to Bradenton so different?
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) February 20, 2016
Is the logic flawed? Of course.
Harbaugh says that the trips are more about team bonding and development, when common sense tells you going into SEC and ACC countries for events is for very little more than recruiting advantages.
But hey, the loophole is there, so why not take advantage of it?
And until the NCAA does something to close that loophole, Harbaugh should continue to use it to his advantage.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
