Jim Harbaugh’s “Summer Swarm” tour wasn’t cheap, but you have to believe it will pay off in the long run.
The new head coach of Michigan’s football program took a tour around the nation this summer, visiting 10 spots around the country in an effort to “teach youth football in these communities,” Harbaugh said back in early June.
The tour drew the ire of many other coaches and programs, who viewed it as nothing more than a glorified recruiting tool—which it was.
Now we know, thanks to a report by Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com, that the trip came with an expensive price tag. Per the report, the final bill was $211,945.
“That number is higher than the total recruiting budgets used by 40 different NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision schools during the entire 2012-13 athletic year, per USA Today’s database. As a point of reference: Wisconsin, a Big Ten school, spent $256,967 on recruiting during that same time frame,” the report states.
“The group spent $4,178 on meals, $9,289 on lodging, ground transportation and “other,” and $198,481 on airfare.”
Despite the gaudy financial commitment, Michigan will surely come away a long-term winner. The “Summer Swarm” did act as a recruiting tool, but the only reason it will be wildly successful is because Harbaugh was involved. The man is a mad scientist, but the method to his madness has always paid off on the college football level.
It’s not surprising that Michigan’s summer recruiting was among the best in the nation. And, as long as Harbaugh’s methods don’t wear thin in Ann Arbor, he’ll continue bringing in a plethora of top talent to the program.
Unfortunately his first game leading the Wolverines didn’t end in success, as Utah edged out Michigan on Thursday night by a score of 24-17.