Gus Malzahn is among the coaches who are not happy about Michigan encroaching on their territory.
Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan staff will be assisting at the Prattville Elite Football Camp in June. Prattville is located 75 miles from Auburn’s campus in Alabama.
Prattville High School Elite Football Camp with @JimHarbaugh49 & @umich Coaching Staff June 5th 2015. Be There!! pic.twitter.com/2gCbeKbugV
— Coach Jackson (@CoachJack10) March 24, 2015
A rule in the SEC prevents programs from running camps outside a 50 mile radius from their campus. However, the Big Ten does not have the same rule, which allows their coaches to appear at camps in other regions, such as Alabama. This is giving Harbaugh a recruiting advantage, and Auburn does not like it.
“I think the SEC coaches last year made it clear that we’d like it to be that way throughout the country,” Malzahn said via Al.com. “That was a stance after our last spring meetings and I still feel the same.”
In addition to Harbaugh, Penn State coach James Franklin, who previously coached at Vanderbilt, took advantage of this rule last year when he participated in a camp in Georgia.
Harbaugh is looking to expand Michigan’s recruiting tentacles and already got a commitment from a Prattville senior. They also have offers out to four Alabama players, including one from Prattville. Between this and specially working with NFL draft prospects, Harbaugh sure is doing what he can to maximize his exposure.
