How Important Are Satellite Camps to Recruiting?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

How valuable are Satellite Camps for schools who are conducting those in the far flung reaches of the country? Maybe pretty valuable, maybe not, all of the results aren't in just yet, but the coaches of the conferences who are embracing these camps are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to recruiting and trying to make a dent in the recruiting classes of traditional powers.

Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan football coaching staff will be busy in the early part of June on a nationwide tour of satellite camps. Harbaugh's traveling band will be visiting Prattville, Alabama (June 5), Tampa, Florida (June 6), Easton, Pennsylvania (June 7), Eason, Pennsylvania (June 7), Houston, Texas (June 8th), Grand Prarie, Texas and Fresno, California (June 10).

Even Ohio State scheduled a camp with Florida Atlantic, despite Urban Meyer's previous disfavor of the practice.

Technically, coaches cannot host camps more than 50 miles away from their own campus, but these satellite camps allow coaches to appear as "guests" at high school camps, which is an NCAA loophole that was taken advantage of last year by Penn State's James Franklin. Many voiced their displeasure over that, so it is interesting to see Harbaugh's staff as a part of a camp that will take place in Nittany Lion country. Franklin held camps at Stetson and Georgia State last summer, which did not make coaches of SEC programs very happy.

The idea of satellite football camps held at off-campus venues is not new. Oklahoma State coaches have participated in summer camps for seven years at Belton, Texas. TCU's summer schedule includes two camps in Houston, one in Plano and one in East Texas.

Some observers view the out-of-state camps as thinly-veiled efforts to jump-start recruiting efforts in football hotbeds where the visiting schools seek a stronger foothold. Often, the camps provide access to players during a recruiting dead period. To some, this signals the start of a dangerous precedent for the game if the practice is left unchecked and continues to grow in popularity.

The growth of satellite camps has hit a nerve with coaches and administrators in the SEC, where league rules prohibit coaches from teaching at satellite camps more than 50 miles from their campuses. The ACC has a similar rule. The SEC is sponsoring NCAA legislation aimed at getting all schools to adopt their policy by next summer, thereby closing the loophole for coaches such as Harbaugh to exploit.

If such a move fails, SEC administrators have made it clear they will lift their prohibition on satellite camps next summer. Greg Sankey, the new SEC commissioner, told reporters during the SEC spring meetings that league coaches already have "talked very specifically about their intent to canvas the nation" if allowed to do so next summer.

I heard just today that should the NCAA get involved and attempt to prohibit the use of Satellite Camps that Big 12 schools will fight tooth and nail for a ruling that allows Satellite Camps to be held within a 500 mile radius of the school campus and basically, being limited to having these camps within their natural recruiting areas.

That would certainly scale back the scheduling of camps in SEC territory that is staffed by intruders from outside the conference region. It won't limit recruiting, but it will limit some up close and personal access to players that schools might not otherwise have outside the traditional recruiting process.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2015/5/28/8675089/satellite-camps-college-football-recruiting

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/2015/06/08/big-12-ads-divided-on-camps-as-harbaugh-invades-texas/28696717/

[Arthur pigby sellers.]

 Anything is better than our current situation.   Probably the best situation for Arkansas would be to be able to have satellite camps.   I think the professional attitude of our coaches  along with how likable most of them Are would have some big  EFfect on high school prospects in places like Texas and Florida. Many of them can't afford to come to Arkansas on their own dime and have to wait for official visits. 

[WorfHog]

http://www.freemaptools.com/radius-around-point.htm

50 Mile Radius (Current SEC limit)




500 Mile Radius (Big 12 Proposed Limit)


Edit:This was actually way more work than I thought it would be haha

[redeye]

I'm glad the SEC is finally doing something.  It's time to either end them or allow SEC teams to do it, too.  I'd like to see the practice banned.

[redeye]

http://www.freemaptools.com/radius-around-point.htm

So if it were 500 miles, we'd be able to hold camps pretty much everywhere we already recruit hard, except Florida.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

So it were 500 miles, we'd be able to hold camps pretty much everywhere we already recruit hard, except Florida.

We don't want to do that...the 500 mile rule. Just let things play out and allow the other schools to have camps in SEC territory while unleashing the SEC schools to have camps in all of the Big Ten, Pac 12 and Big 12 traditional recruiting areas. They (Big Ten/Big 12) will rue the day that they ever pushed for this. If they don't back off they are getting ready to get bitten in the butt.

[redeye]

We don't want to do that...the 500 mile rule. Just let things play out and allow the other schools to have camps in SEC territory while unleashing the SEC schools to have camps in all of the Big Ten, Pac 12 and Big 12 traditional recruiting areas. They (Big Ten/Big 12) will rue the day that they ever pushed for this. If they don't back off they are getting ready to get bitten in the butt.

I find the whole idea silly.  If it's not stopped, everyone will be holding camps around the nation.  Most players will still stick close to home, but Okie State may convince a Miami kid to go to Stillwater, rather then NCSU.  The Big Ten has an advantage, because it has better academics, which might matter a lot to a player who wants to leave home.

The SEC has the best recruiting region in the nation.  I don't see how it has anything to gain by trading access to recruiting regions with other conferences and I suspect that's why the SEC and ACC are against it.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I find the whole idea silly.  If it's not stopped, everyone will be holding camps around the nation.  Most players will still stick close to home, but Okie State may convince a Miami kid to go to Stillwater, rather then NCSU.  The Big Ten has an advantage, because it has better academics, which might matter a lot to a player who wants to leave home.

The SEC has the best recruiting region in the nation.  I don't see how it has anything to gain by trading access to recruiting regions with other conferences and I suspect that's why the SEC and ACC are against it.

I'm just saying, if they are going to allow it, we don't need a 500 mile radius to limit us. It should either be a free-for-all or an adoption of the SEC/ACC rule. Although, I wouldn't mind seeing us be able to attend camps in Ohio, along the East coast, in Florida, Texas and California.

[redeye]

I'm just saying, if they are going to allow it, we don't need a 500 mile radius to limit us. It should either be a free-for-all or an adoption of the SEC/ACC rule. Although, I wouldn't mind seeing us be able to attend camps in Ohio, along the East coast, in Florida, Texas and California.

If you'd care to expand, I'd love to hear what you're thinking.  Although I don't like the idea at all, there is one thing that could be positive about it.  Bielema has an infectious personality, so the more players and coaches who experience it, the better for Arkansas.  Can the head coach attend the camps?

[k.c.hawg]

Any school that is not in the south,will have a distinct advantage by coming to where the population growth is to hold camps. Ban them!!

[ErieHog]

We don't want to do that...the 500 mile rule. Just let things play out and allow the other schools to have camps in SEC territory while unleashing the SEC schools to have camps in all of the Big Ten, Pac 12 and Big 12 traditional recruiting areas. They (Big Ten/Big 12) will rue the day that they ever pushed for this. If they don't back off they are getting ready to get bitten in the butt.

I don't know.  Follow my logic, if you would--  it'd exclude everyone in the Eastern Division from Texas--  even Auburn couldn't get to Dallas for an event, though it could just squeak out Houston.  Tennessee would be excluded from South Florida as well.    That would mean we're in a relatively advantageous position for satellite camps with a 500 mile limit, compared to many other schools.

[redeye]

I don't know.  Follow my logic, if you would--  it'd exclude everyone in the Eastern Division from Texas--  even Auburn couldn't get to Dallas for an event, though it could just squeak out Houston.  Tennessee would be excluded from South Florida as well.    That would mean we're in a relatively advantageous position for satellite camps with a 500 mile limit, compared to many other schools.

That's my thinking as well, but Auburn could hold camps in South Florida, while we could not.  I'm not sure that it makes sense to limit the radius to 500 miles, though, and it would seem unfair to some schools.

Miami, for instance, would basically just get the State of Florida, and a little of Georgia.  That probably wouldn't be a big problem, though, considering all the recruits in that area.  On the other hand, LSU would get all the major metro areas in Texas, Nashville, Atlanta and the Florida panhandle.

[ErieHog]

That's my thinking as well, but Auburn could hold camps in South Florida, while we could not.  I'm not sure that it makes sense to limit the radius to 500 miles, though, and it would seem unfair to some schools.

Miami, for instance, would basically just get the State of Florida, and a little of Georgia.  That probably wouldn't be a big problem, though, considering all the recruits in that area.  On the other hand, LSU would get all the major metro areas in Texas, Nashville, Atlanta and the Florida panhandle.

The difference, to me, is that Texas is less heavily recruited by competing programs, than Florida-- while it has more players, they're more divided, but the focus time we could get in Texas, recruiting head to head with the bottom half of the Big XII, and all those lower tier programs that eeke out their eligibility for bowls, by getting guys that TAMU, Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma, and Texas pass up.

Those are recruiting battles we can usually win, and get solid, productive players and depth with; it doesn't much matter if we're in Florida as heavily, because its much more contested.  I'd much rather battle Oklahoma State for a player's services, than Tennessee or Georgia.

[redeye]

The difference, to me, is that Texas is less heavily recruited by competing programs, than Florida-- while it has more players, they're more divided, but the focus time we could get in Texas, recruiting head to head with the bottom half of the Big XII, and all those lower tier programs that eeke out their eligibility for bowls, by getting guys that TAMU, Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma, and Texas pass up.

Those are recruiting battles we can usually win, and get solid, productive players and depth with; it doesn't much matter if we're in Florida as heavily, because its much more contested.  I'd much rather battle Oklahoma State for a player's services, than Tennessee or Georgia.

That's a good point, but I'm not sure Auburn recruits Texas that much, already.  Along with Arkansas and LSU, Ole Miss and Alabama both seem to be recruiting Texas harder now.  MSU could setup camps near Dallas, although it would probably require a short drive, similar to what we'd have with Chicago.

I think our bigger problem in recruiting players at a distance from Fayetteville is just getting them to consider Arkansas, because they probably think of us as we do Wyoming.  Whether it's in Texas or Florida, camps might help with that, if they were willing to attend our camps, instead of some other school's.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I don't know.  Follow my logic, if you would--  it'd exclude everyone in the Eastern Division from Texas--  even Auburn couldn't get to Dallas for an event, though it could just squeak out Houston.  Tennessee would be excluded from South Florida as well.    That would mean we're in a relatively advantageous position for satellite camps with a 500 mile limit, compared to many other schools.

That's a good way of looking at it and I see your point. The only thing that I would say about that is that this staff has shown that they are not at all shy about going into other schools traditional recruiting areas on selected recruits and some of these areas are not traditionally familiar with the Hogs like the kids from SEC states tend to be. Would having the ability to hold "branded" Arkansas camps inside or outside the SEC states benefit the Hogs? I think it would benefit us to a greater degree than the majority of our SEC brethren and it might give kids outside our area a better opportunity to learn about the University of Arkansas, their staff and program.