Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh opens can of worms with satellite camps, SEC approves the practice

In late April new Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh taunted SEC head coaches with his “Summer Swarm.” The Summer Swarm is nine planned satellite football camps in seven states with the intent to draw recruits from other regions to the University of Michigan.

Harbaugh had the upper hand due to a SEC rule that outlawed the practice. With the recruiting advantage the former San Francisco 49ers head coach teased SEC coaches about their prohibitive rules inviting them to attend any of his camps. In response SEC coaches like Alabama’s Nick Saban have been vocal about the unfair recruiting advantage held by other conferences leading to a swift change.

As of Wednesday SEC Commissioner Mike Slive has lifted the banned satellite camps giving his conference an even playing field unless the NCAA steps in to limit satellite camps across all of college football. Speaking on the matter Slive stated, “We thought there was an interpretation the NCAA could make to take care of this matter since these camps are being used for purposes other than which they were designed. So we’ll get the rule changed or our coaches will start to travel.” Slive added, “(We’ll) make every effort to have our rule adopted nationally.”

The pushback on satellite camps may reach farther than just Big Ten Conference schools. The practice is widely used by Pac-12 and Mountain West Conference schools going into the Los Angeles area every year holding camps to evaluate talent for recruiting purposes.

If the NCAA does not fold upholding the use of satellite camps by any and all no matter the distance away from home, Harbaugh now runs the risk of top SEC schools coming into Michigan to pluck top talent out of the “Wolverine State” and big recruiting pools like the “Motor City.” His gloating maybe short lived come summertime 2016 and National Signing Day 2017.

Currently SEC schools can hold camps up to 50 miles away from their campus. Harbaugh’s Summer Swarm tackles the premise by going nationwide. From June 4 through June 12 camps are planned in Indianapolis, Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, and California.

Harbaugh has caught the lion’s share of the criticism but other programs like Notre Dame and Penn State have started going south for camps in recent years upsetting regional coaches of the practice. This summer Ohio State, Nebraska, and Purdue are expanding their camp borders as well.

 

Written by Ryan Wright

Photo credit: chatsports.com; Jim Harbaugh holds a press conference at Michigan.