Malzahn unhappy with Michigan Satellite Camps

a participation trophy to make him feel better.

Michigan isn't the first school to do this, it isn't something new.

Penn State had a camp at Georgia Southern last year and at Stetson. Notre Dame scheduled camps at Georgia Southern as well.

They cried foul last year, they're doing it again. SEC coaches have been trying to get the NCAA to adopt the 50-Mile Rule for the entire country. If they don't, I would expect the SEC to drop it and they'll start moving camps north.

I dont get the resource argument.  Like Oklahoma, OSU, MSU, Notre Dame, PSU, Nebraska can't come up with funds for this.

Is it "that expensive" to run a 1 day camp?  You basically need to fly out your staff - other schools can put them on a normal plane ... say $500 per ticket for 11 coaches = $5500.  You could truck your equipment down in advance - say $10K. ($15K?)

Then you have a facility you rent - you can use a HS field.   Some HSs may donate it for the exposure.  Then you pay some ancillory fees for hotels food etc.   11 rooms x $125 a room = talking >$1000.

And UM is charging $25 a head so say 200 kids shows up that is $5000 back into your pocket to offset the plane tickets for the coaches.

You guys are making this sound like it is a $500K per camp expense.  It sounds like a $25K expense or it might cost worst case $50K a camp.  You run 3 camps a summer and its $75K to $150K - not something that is going to break any budget.

If I am missing a massive $200K per camp expense let me know.  Maybe something is happening I dont know about.

I expect to see a lot more of these camps now that the genie is out of the bottle.  Once there are 10 schools running camps in any state it is going to lose most of its effectiveness on kids - once you go to a Michigan, Oklahoma, OSU, PSU camp all in the same summer it dilutes the effect.  So it's something to strike at while the fire is hot because I expect in 3-5 years for there to be a ton of them.  Still it is worthwhile because 90% of these kids are not going to fly to Michigan on their own dime on an unofficial so getting face time in their neighborhood is a huge bonus.

Same. First thing I thought was...OMG let's make this kid happy quick!

I'll go the extra mile; Malzahn's unhappiness makes me happy. How many kids did Auburn sign this year, 35? 40?

"More competition means more more choices for the "student-athletes", you know, the people whom college athletics supposedly benefits."

There are lots of things in the world that would benefit "student-athletes." Paying them money. Allowing them unlimited massages. Giving them one-on-one tutoring 24 hours a day. Providing housing for them and their immediate family. Giving them health insurance. So on and so forth.

The world is not stacked against poor student-athletes. They generally have it pretty good, even if they do have to work hard, lift weights, practice their sport, etc. There are lots of people out there who work hard, lift weights, practice something, etc. for less of a reward.

Ultimately, college athletics are about athletes, programs, institutions, entertainment, money, etc., all rolled into one. Saying "It's best for the student-athlete!" is a very slippery slope. Kids have been earning scholarships for years and years based on their play on the field, working hard to get noticed, etc. Generally, a kid who's good enough to play college football will find a way to play college football. And whether we take MAC-level kids from Alabama or whether we get them from Indiana, they're still MAC-level kids who will get a chance at a free education and an opportunity to further their athletic careers. For every kid in the state of Alabama who earns a Michigan scholarship at these camps, there's a kid in Michigan (or Ohio/Indiana/Illinois/etc.) who doesn't earn one.

I don't think SEC backlash would be enough to change this.  The SEC isn't the only league with pull.  In fact, I would argue that the Big Ten has more pull overall with the NCAA than the SEC does.  The SEC isn't going anywhere, so pissing off the Big Ten to appease the SEC would be a bad move on the NCAA's part.  

The irony of SEC coaches complaining about recruiting disadvantages, when they're allowed by their conference to oversign, even though it's not in the best interest of student-athletes (see: Elliott Porter).

was some sort of attempt at imposing southern politeness on the schools, having each of the schools avoid setting up camp in a another's backyard. But, it seems to me that actual recruiting battles between SEC schools would transcend the constraints of being polite and would render this rule moot. The easy solution is, agreed, just dump the rule. The characterization of the camp as a "Harbaugh satellite camp" or "Michigan satellite camp" is very misleading. A local high school decided that they have a good enough relationships with a college coaching staff (of a non-SEC school) that they want to invite them on campus to participate in a local camp. The expense aspect seems way overrated. Any school could do this. I have to believe that there are some (a few?) schools in Michigan that invite osu coaches to participate in camps, just as there would seem to be some in ohio that invite Michigan coaches. The fact that Harbaugh is able to establish a foothold in Alabama (after only 3 months) is huge, and certainly has received the attention of SEC coaches.