The Big Ten Network has been doing fall camp tour bus stops for years, and schools are contractually obligated to open their doors for a practice date during what's become an annual event. So, Harbaugh had no choice, the sub had to surface.
But, technically, he didn't have to speak.
And, he didn't.
Michigan assistants and a handful of players sat down with BTN cameras in advance of the network's 6 p.m. special (airing tonight), but Harbaugh did not. BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart said, to his knowledge, that's the first time a head coach has ever declined to speak during a tour stop.
It's all part of Harbaugh's fall camp approach, apparently, as no other media members have been allowed to speak with a Michigan player or coach since camp opened Aug. 7. Inside the gates, though, everything about Harbaugh's workouts are intense, no-nonsense and, per Dienhart, "all business."
"The coaches were always in full-blown teaching mode, there was no wasted motion at all, constant communication and everyone was always where they're supposed to be," Dienhart says.