NCAA executive Oliver Luck raised a possibility that might excite some college football fans around the country.
According to Zac Jackson, Luck said at a speaking engagement in northeast Ohio that he expects the satellite camp rule to be revisited in the future. He added that there was no timetable on revisitation:
@Mark__Snyder no. He very much defended the NCAA then at the end of his answer said he expects it will be revisited
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) April 18, 2016
The satellite camp discussion in college football had been one of the bigger and more controversial topics in the sport for the past few seasons, with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh arguably drawing the most attention to the discussion out of anybody. The NCAA banned the practice in early April, ruling that schools had to conduct camps and clinics at campus facilities.
Harbaugh was slated to hold satellite camps with his coaching staff in the summer in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Virginia, and Florida. He did so in a handful of states last year, much to the displeasure of coaches in the SEC and ACC.
Since this arguably affected him directly, Harbaugh wasn’t shy in taking shots at those respective conferences for speaking out against satellite camps:
“It seems to be outrage by the SEC and ACC,” Harbaugh says. “They power-brokered that out … the image that comes to my mind is guys in a back room smoking cigars, doing what they perceive is best for them. It certainly isn’t the best thing for the youngsters. It’s not the best thing for the student-athletes.”
Several other coaches have spoken out against the ban, as well as recruits. For recruits, the satellite camps come as a much cheaper option to be seen by Power 5 conference coaches.
The rule was insituted “effective immediately” on April 8, but the NCAA Board of Governors will meet April 28 to finalize the decision. Harbaugh recently expressed his feeling on the topic again this past Thursday, according to The Detroit News, describing the widespread effect it has:
“This affects a lot of people. You’re hearing a lot of voices talking about how it affects them, the players they coach or a family member of players at different universities talking about what Sound Mind Sound Body meant to them. That’s how they got an opportunity. I think you’re seeing and will see more and more evidence. If we can keep the topic in front of people, we’re for that.”
Arizona football coach Rich Rodriguez was also critical of how quickly the new rule was passed, stating it was unfair to coaches, schools and student-athletes.
“If it’s been overwhelmingly more good than bad, they shouldn’t change the rules,” Rodriguez said to the Arizona Daily Star‘s Zack Rosenblatt. “A few squeaky wheels got the thing changed that quickly? I think it’s silly and disingenuous.”
http://tucson.com/sports/blogs/uafootball/article_da6a9ee8-05b4-11e6-9fdf-bfdd6100a996.html
One thing is certain, and that is this probably won’t be the last that you hear of satellite camps and the NCAA.
