Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh created quite a stir with his recent trip south with his football program to open spring football practices. The move drew criticism throughout the south, but Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher applauded Harbaugh’s outside the box line of thinking. It seems Fisher is not alone in offering up some praise from the sunshine state. Florida head coach Jim McElwain served up some extremely rare complimentary remarks for Harbaugh this week. McElwain praised Harbaugh for “pushing the envelope” with the spring football practice spring break trip.
“I kind of look it as more power to him,” McElwain said Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. “It’s totally legal. He’s not doing anything that’s illegal. He’s pressing the envelopes. He’s putting their name in the paper every day. And, you know, that’s cool. I mean, I’d come to Florida, too.”
McElwain noted Harbaugh’s spring break trip was perfectly legal, which it is under the current construction of the NCAA policies. The sEC requested the NCAA take a look at closing down the option of holding spring football practices over a school’s spring break. ACC commissioner John Swofford echoed some of those concerns as well as NCAA president Mark Emmert. This led to a war of words between Harbaugh and others in the south.
“There are great players here, right? There’s a reason every school in the country comes here and recruits. So I think for them it’s trying to gain an edge and give them an opportunity to practice in great weather. I don’t plan on taking ours to Michigan. I’m all for what he’s doing.”