Jim Harbaugh's Recruiting Pipeline into Ohio Beginning to Take Form

For all of the talk that's surrounded Jim Harbaugh's recruiting strategy, one key piece of the new Michigan coach's game plan has always seemed to be missing.

But with the latest addition to the Wolverines' much-discussed "Summer Swarm Tour," that no longer appears to be the case.

Ever since he took over his alma mater at the end of 2014, Harbaugh has been a mainstay in college football's headlines, whether it be for his alleged subtweet toward Ohio State coach Urban Meyer or unique approach to the summer camp season.

While Harbaugh has seemingly been everywhere over the course of the past five months, there was one area where he had yet to make his presence felt: Ohio.

Until now.

As the former San Francisco 49ers head coach prepares to embark on an unprecedented tour of satellite camps starting with a trip to Indianapolis on Thursday, the Michigan staff has added a late date to what was already a nine-stop camp slate.

According to the Youngstown Vindicator, Harbaugh and Wolverines defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin will serve as guest instructors at Cardinal Mooney High School's annual "Camp of Champions" in Youngstown, Ohio, on June 29-30.

Joining Harbaugh and Durkin at the camp will be Youngstown State head coach Bo Pelini, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops and former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar.

But make no mistake, it will be Harbaugh—as usual—who commands the most attention at the end of this month.

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Because for the first time since becoming Michigan's head coach, Harbaugh is showing an obvious interest in targeting the Buckeye State on the recruiting trail.

Sure, he hired former Cleveland-area high school head coach Rick Finotti as his director of operations back in March, but that was for a non-recruiting position that is expected to have minimal impact when it comes to making inroads in Ohio.

And yet, it still managed to grab the attention of his newest rival.

“Do we monitor it?" Meyer responded when asked about Michigan's hiring of Finotti. "Sure, we noticed it.”

If Meyer took note of the Wolverines' hiring of Finotti, one can only imagine how he'd feel about what is expected to be Harbaugh's first public appearance in Ohio as Michigan's head coach. According to multiple recruiting analysts, Harbaugh—a native of Toledo, Ohio—has yet to set foot on Meyer's home turf since accepting his new job more than five months ago.

"I'm still waiting for him to make that big surge into Ohio," said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Marc Givler. "It hasn't happened yet."

Unlike James Franklin at Penn State, Harbaugh has already seen direct results from his use of satellite camps before ever even holding one. Of Michigan's seven commits in its 2016 class, two hail from areas where the Wolverines will be camping this month, including 4-star quarterback Brandon Peters from Avon, Indiana, and 3-star fullback Kingston Davis from Prattville, Alabama.

Yielding similar results with the Northeast Ohio camp could provide a much-needed boost to Michigan's upcoming class, especially with Youngstown being an easy drive for prospects from talent-rich areas such as Cleveland, Akron and Canton.

It's possible recruits from Pennsylvania could also attend the trip, with Youngstown sitting near the border of the Keystone State.

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But it's Harbaugh's voyage into Ohio and the connections that he'll be able to make with the state's coaches and prospects that will be his primary objective later this month.

From former Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel to those who cover the game, most seem to be in agreement that in order for the Wolverines to have success under their new head coach, they'll have to re-establish their presence across the border.

"The door got closed on the real high majority of any of the Ohio kids leaving Ohio to go there," Tressel said of Michigan's recent struggles during a March appearance at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club in Canton, via the Massillon Independent. "That door is still closed. If it remains closed, [Ohio State will] have a real chance to enjoy some of the good successes we've had in that rivalry."

Givler agreed.

"Michigan has to have success in Ohio," Givler said matter-of-factly. "They need to make moves to ensure that they have success in Ohio."

It's too early to tell whether or not the latest addition to Harbaugh's "Swarm Tour" will prove to be just that, but the Wolverines' recruiting strategy is continuing to take shape—and Ohio appears to be very much a part of it.

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.