Urban Meyer says the Jim Harbaugh buzz is real

Ohio State is on top of the college football world.

But even from his perch after the national championship, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer has noticed the intense attention on Michigan since Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach.

Michigan has played competitive games against Ohio State in all three of Meyer's seasons, even though the Buckeyes have won each time. Yet the off-the-field intensity has increased since Harbaugh was hired Dec. 30.

"It's more from (the media), there is a buzz, I do check the Internet and see what's going on in this world and boom, there it is," Meyer said today at the Big Ten meetings in Chicago. "It's real and how much the real is, I don't know. But it's real and it's our job to monitor everything that goes on. It's their job to monitor for us too. That's a real one."

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Meyer doesn't have much of a relationship personally with Jim Harbaugh, saying he has only interacted twice, at the first Big Ten coaches meeting in the spring and at the Sound Mind Sound Body high school football camp, where they barely spoke. His Harbaugh connection is stronger with brother John Harbaugh, who he said he knows well, and having coached against father Jack Harbaugh, when Jack was leading Western Kentucky.

There's also a strong tie to the U-M staff because Meyer hired U-M defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green and hired him as a Florida assistant – "I love him to death," Meyer said -- and hired Greg Mattison as his defensive coordinator at Florida after working together at Notre Dame, who he is "very close" to.

When asked to expand on Durkin, Meyer shut down the questioning.

Part of that is being aware of the Wolverines' moves in recruiting as well.

Former U-M coach Brady Hoke recruited at a high level, though still behind the Buckeyes in the rankings, and the Buckeyes were aware that Harbaugh's entrance could affect the recruiting landscape.

Under Harbaugh's revamped recruiting department, Michigan is gaining momentum in the 2016 class.

"We monitor everything, I would put Michigan State and all the top dogs, Notre Dame's an adversary too, we really really watch, we watch and study your… adversary. Absolutely."

Contact Mark Snyder at msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder.