“Satellite Camp” is a term new to the college football world, but one most are already familiar with, Penn State coach James Franklin coined the term two years ago. Teams like the camps when they are the ones hosting the camp, but are against them when a rival college is hosting camps in their territory.
A quick review in what exactly a satellite camp is, it is a loophole in the NCAA regulations in that coaches can’t hold camps outside of a 50-mile radius, but these coaches aren’t hosting the camps, they are simply just “guests” of institutions hosting the camp. The face of the camps seem to be Jim Harbaugh, so he is going around being a guest instructor for high schools.
The biggest opponent against allowing the camps is the SEC, and understandably so, the Big Ten is trespassing in their recruiting territory.
“Its not a contact period and its not an evaluation period, so what are we doing?” Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said. “They are recruiting based, it is no secret Tom (Herman) and I teamed up… just to grow our brand in the state.”
To Sumlin the purpose of the camps should be to grow football and teach football, and he’s not sure that is what is really going on at these camps. People don’t mind the the access to the players, but the question is when does it come?
Southern Methodist head coach Chad Morris echoed Sumlin’s worries about the camps and schools outside of the state coming in and recruiting Texas players. SMU didn’t team up with any schools for their satellite camps.
“The month of April and May my phone was ringing on a daily bases, four or five times, with other people across the country wanting to partner with us,” Morris said. “This is our state! I’m about trying to not let our players leave the state, I want them to come to us.”
Legislation will be coming sooner rather than later. There are pros and cons to the camps. On one end it allows coaches and players to interact when they would not normally get the chance to meet, but on the other hand it allows coaches to talk to recruits they are already talking to even more without regulations.
