MACON, Ga. _ The parade began at 8:20 a.m. this morning.
It was a one-man receiving line but 2{ years into his Michigan coaching tenure, Jim Harbaugh must expect it.
Everyone in the college football world wants a piece of his time and even at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., nearly 800 miles from home, they were Pooh to his honey pot.
Walking through the front gates at Mercer's Five-Star Stadium he was unmistakable in his U-M game day gear: the dark blue Jumpman sweatshirt, navy hat with the maize skinny block M and the ever-present khaki pants.
This was the kickoff of U-M's satellite camp tour, taking members of the coaching staff to at least 13 stops, coast to coast, over a 10-day span.
Today's welcoming committee were athletes enrolled in the Bobby Lamb Super Elite camp at Mercer, which was scheduled to begin on the field at 9.
Harbaugh arrived with half of his staff _ defensive coordinator Don Brown, tackles and tight ends coach Greg Frey, running backs coach Jay Harbaugh, linebackers coach Chris Partridge and safeties coach Brian Smith.
The other five barely received a second look from the kids, who surrounded Harbaugh.
They bantered back and forth, as much as kids do, and then their coaches wanted to chat him up. He explained his crazy travel plan, leaving in the early afternoon to fly to the Cleveland area for another camp at John Carroll University this evening.
Then he went to the coaches' refuge inside the athletic field house.
These satellite camps are old hat for him by now, barnstorming the nation over the past two summers, shaking hands, giving hugs and diving into coaching opportunity.
Though the camps are undeniably a great recruiting chance, Michigan isn't likely to focus on more than a few kids, even in a talent-rich state like Georgia. It was about presence.
In the mass of 40-plus coaches, he still stood out.
When the camp organizer asked over the loudspeaker for coaches to help work the 40-yard dash starting line, Harbaugh and Brown ran from their spot to help.
Years of being tackled as a quarterback have slowed Harbaugh's gait but he was pushing his limit. When he finished his own version of the 40 (untimed), he spent the following few minutes offering tips to the players, even laying on the ground to demonstrate and then standing and showing how to swing their arms.
For the next 3{ hours, he tried to get involved. The magnetic pull though, making it difficult.
Coaches from all over would sidle up and introduce themselves. A few appeared distantly familiar but often his assistants offered help.
A few hours into the camp he stood at midfield and chatted with the second-most prominent coach there, Penn State's James Franklin.
But even in public, there was no escape.
A few recruits not outfitted in the orange Mercer Football camper shirts, hoping to make a connection with Harbaugh.
And even in the deep South, his fans stood by in the high 80s heat, waiting and watching.
John and Ashley Shepardson and their three boys stood out among the Georgians. John in a yellow Michigan shirt, Ashley in blue and their boys, Teddy, Charlie and Zach, in a mix. They watched on the main field for a few hours drawing a wave, then followed when Harbaugh wandered to a side field and he finally came over to chat, making the 2-hour drive from north of Atlanta worth the trip.
"Very friendly, very gracious, just like last year," said John, who showed up to the Atlanta camp in 2016, with Charlie sneaking into the back of an ESPN shot. "He posed for pictures, couldn't be nicer. Meeting somebody famous like that, he couldn't be more gracious."
After the conversation, Harbaugh stepped back on the field to observe the quarterbacks throwing. Even though his QB depth chart is stacked for years, he was studying intently.
All morning, even when he wasn't interested, he drew a flock.
Though it's not new for him, on a field where he hoped to be working, the interactions were an additional part of the job.
And this was the just first stop of his wild 10 days, where he is promoted on nearly every virtual flyer as the targeted attraction.
A new lineup was waiting in University Heights, Ohio.
