Michigan's maize-and-blue satellite camp road trip: Where's Harbaugh?

— -- The peace is over. Satellite camp season has arrived.

Things had been relatively quiet in the Cold War brewing over satellite camps. Before the first whistle blew, however, Nick Saban ended the cease-fire.

"It's bad for college football," the Alabama coach said at  SEC spring meetings Tuesday.

"This is the wild, wild West at its best. There have been no specific guidelines relative to how we're managing control of this stuff."

Later that day, the chief evangelist of satellite camps, Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, returned fire, referring to the resignation of Alabama assistant Bo Davis over allegations of recruiting violations.

How did we get here? Well, nothing has caused more angst in college football in recent years than satellite camps.

They were on. Then they weren't. Schools from the SEC and ACC led the charge to ban coaches from leaving their home campus to conduct camps for high school prospects.

Then there was a whole lot of outrage. There were a few voting discrepancies. And three weeks after its initial ban, the NCAA overturned the decision.

And now we can rejoice, because the satellite camp frenzy has finally begun.

Riding at the center of this whirlwind, with seemingly endless joy and a reserve of snark, is Harbaugh. The Wolverines coach, going into just his second year in Ann Arbor, ignited the debate with his "summer swarm" a year ago. Last summer saw him hold camps in nine states, including an epic, shirtless performance in Prattville, Alabama.

This year, Harbaugh has turned the swarm into a barnstorming, 39-camp world tour with stops in 22 states, American Samoa and Australia. Australia!

Harbaugh isn't the only one in on the fun. Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy, for example, called his series of mega-camps the Wal-Mart of satellite camps. Those camps will take place in five different Texas cities and have coaches from Oregon State, Arizona State, Colorado, Kansas State, Northwestern and others.

But come on, this month is mostly about the maize-and-blue road trip -- and asking, Where in the world will Harbaugh turn up next?

So while it feels like it never left, satellite camp season is finally here. Enjoy the ride.

The tour

June 1: Indianapolis Bishop Chatard High School
Was Jim there?: Yes
What did we learn?: Captain Comeback, in an Andrew Luck T-shirt, can still throw the fade.

June 1: Springfield (Ohio) High School
Was Jim there?: Yes
Did we get the feels?: Harbaugh, sporting a 'Barrett Strong' shirt, invited 6-year-old Barrett Fitzsimmons to a Michigan game, according to the Dayton Daily News.

Fitzsimmons, whose family are big Wolverines fans, is currently undergoing cancer treatment. Harbaugh told Fitzsimmons, "I want you to come to a game in Ann Arbor this fall. Pick a game, any game you want. We have eight home games. You just keep fighting and smiling, and the good Lord will taking a liking to you, buddy. Come see us in Ann Arbor, and I look very forward to meeting you."

June 2: The Jackson School, Atlanta
Was Jim there?: Oh, yeah. Did an all-time MLB great make a cameo?: With Harbaugh in a No. 44 Braves jersey, Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron addressed the campers.

Who else was there?: Along with Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi, new Georgia coach Kirby Smart co-hosted the camp.

Did Harbaugh continue his war of words with a certain five-time national champion coach? Um, with a vengeance.

"The issue was what I said it was," Harbaugh said after the camp. "Somebody that had just recently broken rules and has that in their history is lecturing us coaches -- us other coaches -- about potentially violating rules. I just thought it was hypocritical. I thought it was a hypocritical act."