Why Jim Harbaugh Has a Leg Up in Recruitment of Auburn Transfer Derrick Moncrief

In Sports Illustrated's recent cover story on Jim Harbaugh, the new Michigan head coach takes great pride in accurately quoting Sir Winston Churchill.

"You have enemies? Good," Harbaugh says, siphoning a quote from the former British prime minister on the May 18 Sports Illustrated cover. "That means you've stood for something some time in your life."

But for a moment on Monday, it appeared Harbaugh may have made one too many enemies too early in his return to Ann Arbor.

When Derrick Moncrief announced his intentions to transfer from Auburn late last week, Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn complied, granting the junior his release to spend his remaining season of eligibility elsewhere, save for a handful of schools.

According to Scout's Sam Webb, Malzahn wouldn't allow Moncrief to transfer to any other SEC school and two of Auburn's upcoming opponents in Clemson and Louisville—standard practice in a transfer situation. But it was another school on Malzahn's no-transfer list that caught the attention of the college football world.

“I didn’t get released to Michigan," Moncrief told Webb. "I don’t know why.”

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

And while according to both Scout and AL.com, Malzahn eventually relented and granted Moncrief his release to the Wolverines on Monday, it's not difficult to connect the dots on Auburn's initial hesitation.

When Harbaugh first made waves earlier this spring with the announcement of his "Summer Swarm Tour" of satellite camps, Malzahn was one of his most outspoken critics. With the SEC unable to hold such camps more than 50 miles away from their respective campuses, Malzahn understandably took issue with the Big Ten's ability to increase its presence in the South.

"I think the SEC coaches last year made it clear that we'd like it to be that way throughout the country," Malzahn said of satellite camps, via Brandon Marcello of AL.com. "That was a stance after our last spring meetings and I still feel the same."

As he has yet to speak about Moncrief's specific situation, it's impossible to tell if this is what Malzahn had in mind when he publicly griped about Harbaugh setting up camp—literally—in the South. But it certainly couldn't have helped the Tigers' problem with the practice, especially when you consider the evidence it shows of the Michigan pipeline's effectiveness.

While Penn State's initial foray into satellite camps drew no direct commitments for the Nittany Lions a year ago, Harbaugh already appears to be having more success.

Despite the fact that he hasn't held his first camp, Harbaugh has already received a commitment from 2016 prospect Kingston Davis, a 3-star fullback from Prattville (Alabama) High School, where Michigan will hold its second satellite camp of the summer on June 5.

It's also no coincidence that Moncrief is a Prattville alum.

And while the former 4-star safety is yet to announce where he'll spend the remainder of his college career—he'll have one year of eligibility remaining in 2016 after sitting out 2015 due to NCAA transfer rules—it's clear that Moncrief has an interest in capitalizing on the Prattville-Michigan connection.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

“I’m open to the Big Ten,” Moncrief told Webb. “I’m just taking the process in as a whole. I’ve been through the recruiting process, so it’s the same thing as last time. I’m open to everyone.”

That hardly guarantees the 6'2", 221-pound safety will end up in Ann Arbor, but the fact that he adamantly fought for his release to the Wolverines bodes well for their chances of signing him. Harbaugh hasn't been shy in bringing in transfers to aid his efforts in his first season at Michigan, and a player of Moncrief's caliber would certainly be welcomed, even if he's unable to play until 2016.

Because even if Moncrief made a minimal impact at Michigan, it never hurts to strengthen a budding pipeline to a talent-rich state like Alabama. Since arriving at his alma mater, Harbaugh has made it clear that he's open to alternative recruiting methods, whether it be capitalizing on his NFL connections or setting up shop in the South—even if it means making a few enemies along the way.

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.