Jim Harbaugh’s new quarterback camp may be the wave of the future

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Ann Arbor’s Aerial Assault (A4 from here on out) sounds more like a vengeful female superhero video game than anything football related, but it might end up being the wave of the future in college recruiting if you have the opportunity to put something like that together. Consider it the modern “make fruit flavored beer” of the sport.

Jim Harbaugh revealed the A4 camp, which will be capped at 300 participants, and it feels like a game changer that someone, somewhere should have thought of before now.

Harbaugh is sinking his teeth into this gig with the ferocity that only Jim Harbaugh can sink his teeth into things with. Pooling his unlimited Rolodex of NFL contacts, and the opportunity for kids to work with a host of former and current NFL quarterbacks (as well as Jay Cutler) will be tantalizing for young players and a basic skeleton key for the Michigan coaching staff to introduce themselves to a wildly massive amount of players all in one fell swoop.

Harbaugh did it smart, too. He’s not just having a few of your classic drop-back passers show up at the thing, say a few words, and scoot out. He’s brought in former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, who’s now Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson. He’s got San Francisco 49ers star Colin Kaepernick, who’s succeeding in the NFL on a dual-threat platform.

There’s legitimate variety in the camp, and guys like Robinson would be invaluable to high school quarterbacks who might man that position in college, but eventually will transition to a running back or wide receiver styled role at the professional level. More than anything though, it gets a whole mess of players on your campus and lets you make contacts with them all at once while no one else is.

Now, stuff like this isn’t totally revolutionary. Every team holds camps and has off season opportunities, but 300 guys from the same position on your campus at one time to mingle with NFL stars, current and former? That’s a big selling point to at least stop by. And probably a pretty solid moneymaker too.

You can bet the cream of the recruiting crop will do so. Harbaugh isn’t shy about offering kids either, thus far. This is a massive deviation from predecessor Brady Hoke, who sort of kept the opposite philosophy that when a place like Michigan offers, it’s rare, so jump on.

Realistically, that line of thinking is archaic in the recruiting game. With just about everyone on television anymore, the line between being nationally publicized and having opportunities at certain schools but not at others is a bit blurred. And Harbaugh clearly is okay with mass offering, because it sends a message of, “if you want to compete for your job, come here. We’re not out for things being handed to anyone.”

Which isn’t to say that’s what Hoke did, but the philosophy is clearly changing, and this camp allows it to be expedited.

I’d imagine more than a few coaches said, “damn, he’s doing WHAT?” when it came out. It’s a massive amount of planning and work, but the payoff could be grand. Especially if your coach is known for having a certain specialty, as Harbaugh has the rep with molding quarterbacks.

At any rate, coaches would be ultra wise to heed this idea if they so have the manpower. It brings the recruiting to you, in mass volumes, probably makes some decent scratch, and allows you to sell that starry-eyed NFL dream to teenagers just trying to pick a college.

Now, the only real question is whether or not Jim Harbaugh actually sleeps, or if he’s developed some sort  of system where you can get rest for the body but still be at the office burning the midnight oil. I think both are even money odds.

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