Michigan football recruiting: Harbaugh no stranger to recruiting tricks

In the highly competitive world of college football recruiting, some coaches will use a variety of methods to snag a prospect. Over the past several seasons, ex-Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, OSU mentor Urban Meyer and even new Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh have been part of the conversation.

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Some coaches have pushed for an early signing period in hopes of minimizing poaching, a practice where a oach recruits a player already verbally committed, but not legally binded, to another school.

Rodriguez drew the ire of then Purdue coach Joe Tiller for poaching Roy Roundtree on National Signing Day 2008.

“You wouldn’t have a team with a guy in a wizard hat selling snake oil grab a guy at the last minute, but that’s what happened,” Tiller said.

Bielema perturbed

Just days after he took the Ohio State job in 2012, Meyer took some heat from former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema.

Meyer flopped offensive lineman Kyle Dodson from Wisconsin and Bielema wasn’t about to take it sitting down.

“I can tell you this,” Bielema told The Sporting News. “We at the Big Ten don’t want to be like the SEC—in any way, shape or form.”

While Bielema failed to identify exactly what Meyer did, he did mention a longstanding “gentlemen’s agreement” in the league that coaches wouldn’t recruit players who had publicly given commitments to schools.

Up his sleeve

“I called Urban and we spoke about it,” Bielema said. “We talked about it, and he said it would stop and it did. I’ll let our commissioner deal with anything else. That’s not who we are (in the Big Ten). We settle things among ourselves as coaches.”

Mar 7, 2015; Mesa, AZ, USA; Michigan Wolverines football coach Jim Harbaugh and guest first base coach for the Oakland Athletics blows a bubble during a spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels at HoHoKam Stadium. Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Harbaugh, who’s now playing catch-up with programs like Ohio State, Alabama, Wisconsin, LSU and even Michigan State, has already played a handful of trump cards.

Harbaugh, who coached in the Super Bowl and played in the Rose Bowl, has constructed a staff of coaches and assistants who could make recruiting much easier.

To help challenge Meyer in talent-rich Ohio, Harbaugh brought in Cleveland St. Edward head coach Rick Finotti to handle football operations.

Harbaugh was far from done.

Wheatley’s son

In 2013, Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers and his high school teammate Juwan Bushell-Beatty were playing for Chris Partridge at Paramus Catholic in New Jersey. Today Partridge is Michigan’s new recruiting coordinator, and his first target is offensive tackle Rashan Gary. Not only is Gary ESPN’s top defensive tackle prospect in the 2016 class, he just happens to play at Paramus Catholic.

Then there’s Tyrone Wheatley, the new running back coach who rushed for 4,187 yards as a Wolverine (1991-94) and “helped” recruit his son, freshman DE/TE Tyrone, Jr.

Staying over from Brady Hoke’s staff is Greg Mattison, who has the reputation of a “great recruiter,” according to the Buckeyes’ coach Meyer.

Harbaugh even hired a potential player’s mom. She will be the new player development director, while Harbaugh recruits her son, transfer cornerback Wayne Lyons of Stanford.

Michigan ‘a ways away’

A first responder, and also a twitter expert, Harbaugh will do just about anything to sell the Michigan program. and coach first base for the Oakland A’s?

Fun notwithstanding, former Michigan nemesis and ex-Ohio State coach Jim Tressel sees a bright future for Harbaugh and the Wolverines, but not immediately.

"“I think Jim Harbaugh will bring something to the Ohio State-Michigan storied rivalry,” Tressel said. “He’s been successful wherever he’s been. He’s extremely hard-working. He has great pride in his alma mater.”“Personally, I think they’re a ways away from being at the level where there’s going to be a Ten Year War,” he said. “I think they’ve got some work to do to get to that. But if anyone can do it, Jim Harbaugh can. He’ll do a great job.”"

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