Big Ten Recruiting Wars Hitting Next Level with Summer of Harbaugh

In the past week, Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer each recruited players who are yet to have played in a high school game.

The only difference is Harbaugh was serious.

While Meyer was responding to a letter from a family of Ohio State fans by "targeting" their three-month-old son—who's eligible to start his college career in 2033—Harbaugh was out offering a legitimate scholarship to Florida middle schooler Blake Hinson, according to Brian Linder of The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Already measuring in at 6'5" and 205 pounds, Hinson recorded 24 catches for 518 yards and four touchdowns in his eighth-grade season at Warner Christian Academy.

Michigan isn't the first school to offer a scholarship to Hinson—he's also already been invited to play for Florida, Miami (Fla.) and North Carolina, per Linder—but there's no precedent for a Big Ten school having ever offered a prospect who's still in middle school. Arguably the Big Ten's most relentless recruiter over the past three seasons, Meyer has been outspoken when it comes to the ever-changing recruiting calendar.

"People offer scholarships now like Pop-Tarts," Meyer said last month in what was possibly a reference to Harbaugh's recruiting practices. "It's unbelievable."

While the three-time national champion head coach obviously makes exceptions—more times than not, in fact—he's previously stated it's his preference to see a player play in his senior season of high school before formally offering him a scholarship.

That might not be realistic in today's day and age of advanced recruiting, but extending a scholarship offer to a player in his final year of high school stands in stark contrast to offering one in his final year of middle school.

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Not that Harbaugh has typically conformed to the practices of his new conference rivals, having made four straight months of noise since taking over as the head coach of his alma mater at the end of 2014. It started with his battle with Meyer for running back Mike Weber (point: Meyer) and has only continued with his reported offer to a player yet to graduate from eighth grade, with plenty of headlines created in between.

Perhaps most notable on the list of ways Harbaugh has already created change in the Big Ten is the former San Francisco 49ers head coach's affinity for satellite camps. The practice of holding camps away from one's campus isn't necessarily new in the conference, as James Franklin held two in his first season at Penn State a year ago, but it'd be tough to argue that Harbaugh hasn't kicked it up a notch.

Scheduling a nine-stop seven-state tour of satellite camps in June, Harbaugh and his staff will take their recruiting efforts national this summer with camps in Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Texas and Indiana. Named the "Summer Swarm Tour," Harbaugh has made no bones about attacking recruiting "with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind."

“We are excited to go across the country and teach youth football in these communities,” he said in a statement. “This is a great way for us to continue to be ambassadors for the great game of football.”

While the SEC—which isn't allowed to hold satellite camps—has publicly taken issue with Harbaugh's practices, his Big Ten colleagues have also taken notice. Asked about the practice of satellite camps, Meyer said he thinks they should be outlawed but is willing to try anything that will legally help his program on the recruiting trail.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

"I don't think you should be able to do that...I think you should just recruit on campus and do a good job," Meyer said of satellite camps. "If it helps us, we'll do it."

Less than a month later, it was revealed Ohio State will host a satellite camp on Florida Atlantic's Boca Raton campus.

Meyer maintains that the Buckeyes' decision to follow suit with satellite camps wasn't a case of "monkey see, monkey do," but it's hard to see Ohio State's taking part in the practice as coincidental. There's no evidence that such camps make much of a difference on the recruiting trail to begin with—the Nittany Lions didn't sign a player from either of their two camps last year—but the Buckeyes would rather give it a shot than risk getting left behind.

That is what makes Harbaugh's offering of an eighth-grader so interesting, as it's a practice that's essentially unprecedented in the Big Ten. Having been diametrically opposed to such practices in the past, will Meyer draw the line, or will Harbaugh force Ohio State to soon turn its eye to the middle school ranks?

Time will tell. But if the past four months are any indication, Harbaugh's and Meyer's weekends won't be that different for long.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.