New Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh continues to hit the recruiting trail in search of talent, and not just prep football players. Several, including TheWolverine.com, have confirmed Stanford Director of Football Sports Performance Shannon Turley will rejoin Harbaugh at Michigan.

has been credited by players and coaches alike as one of the most instrumental figures in the team's resurgence, The Stanford Daily reports. According to statistics he kept, Stanford suffered 26 injuries in 2006 that required season-ending or postseason surgery, but only 24 such injuries from 2008-12.

"It wasn't all just about heavy weights, getting bigger, getting swole," former Cardinal running back Anthony Kimble '08 told The Daily. "He really talked about wear on your body, flexibility, making your body more dynamic."

"It's a huge hire for Michigan," CardinalSportsReport.com's Andy Drukarev said. "Over the last eight years I don't know if there's any single person who has been as important. Everybody raves about him. He cut injuries by 87 percent, gave them the strength they have had to dominate the line of scrimmage. I could go on and on. Nobody would say a bad word about him.

"I can say unequivocally this is a grand slam hire for Michigan."

Like former strength coach Mike Barwis, who now runs his own company in southeastern Michigan, Turley emphasizes flexibility as much as strength. It's not about benching 500 pounds, but also about movements to prepare a football player for battle. He was the NCAA's S&C coach of the year in 2013, prompting this article from the New York Times.

"Everybody respects him," Drukarev said. "He's tough, but those kids know what he's doing for them. He's earned a tremendous amount of respect. I don't know all the details, but he's won every award there is to win.

"The biggest thing is the emphasis on football movements. One f the things he does is an event called "Take the Rope," the most intense and lengthy game of tug of war you'll ever see."

Watch for more on Turley in the days to come …