The University of Michigan football coaching staff has been in a hurry to get the word out to aspiring football players all across the country that the Wolverines are coming to see them. The controversy over satellite camps is still brewing as Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and Alabama head coach Nick Saban have had words with each other over whether they are legal or fair.
At first, when the Wolverines' entire football team headed to Florida to hold practices at the IMG Academy, college football coaches from all across the country cried foul. After the dust cleared, the NCAA ruled that satellite camps were to be banned — to the delight of many coaches from the SEC.
When the ruling came out, Harbaugh threw a tirade. He knew the ruling was not fair to student athletes. He harshly criticized the NCAA for this ruling, saying that it hindered student athletes by not giving potential athletes the chance to earn a scholarship. He argued on behalf of those who had no voice to challenge the powerful NCAA.
Eventually, the ruling was overturned. Satellite camps can be used by coaches to evaluate talent across the country. Not only has it given exposure to the University of Michigan, it gives great exposure to athletes who want to impress high-caliber coaches who have a genuine love for kids.
Coach Harbaugh has done a great service to young student athletes. He has given them the opportunity to be seen. He is taking coaching to another level. Coach Harbaugh is not sitting down during the summer taking his vacation as many other coaches do at this time. He is actively traveling all across the country to find the best athletes. Harbaugh and his coaching staff are making connections that most coaches around the country are not making.
Nick Saban has been critical of these satellite camps, claiming that they are breaking recruiting rules. What it really has done is give southern athletes the chance to see what a Big Ten school can offer an athlete from the South. It gives a southern athlete a chance to see what a northern football program could look like from a first-hand perspective.
Although unpopular at the beginning, satellite camps have taken off. More and more head coaches and staff from around the country are starting the see the benefits. They see the benefit of going from state to state and evaluating talent and making connections with students who otherwise would not have the means or the ability to show off their football prowess.
These satellite camps, thanks to Harbaugh, have taken off at an unprecedented rate. More and more coaches are becoming involved, and it does help their recruiting. Coaching and recruiting have gone to new levels under the greatness of Jim Harbaugh. Satellite camps are good for the game of college football and great for the University of Michigan football program.