The NCAA Board of Directors overturned their ban of satellite camps on Thursday, citing they want to conduct a review of the entire recruiting process at the FBS level.
There has been a recent trend of football programs holding satellite camps (holding camps away from the school) to help gain footing in recruiting hotbeds, and issue came to the forefront when Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh announced his team would be holding a week of their spring practice at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL - one of the premier high school football programs in the country.
The NCAA notes that those in favor of the satellite camps think they "provide opportunities for previously un-recruited student-athletes to be noticed by high-profile coaches and possibly receive scholarships," while others thought the ban "would keep coaches on campus with current student-athletes and steer recruiting toward the scholastic environment."
"The Board of Directors is interested in a holistic review of the football recruiting environment, and camps are a piece of that puzzle,” said Board of Directors chair Harris Pastides, president of the University of South Carolina. “We share the Council’s interest in improving the camp environment, and we support the Council’s efforts to create a model that emphasizes the scholastic environment as an appropriate place for recruiting future student-athletes."
Council chair Jim Phillips also said this is an opportunity that will give them the chance to re-evaluate the recruitment process.
“It’s clear that the membership has differing views on this subject, and the Council appreciates the Board’s insights into this important issue. This review will provide an opportunity to identify the most effective ways prospective student-athletes can have their academic and athletic credentials evaluated by schools across the country."
With the ban being overturned, the ACC said they are revoking its own rule that prohibited coaches from working camps outside a 50-mile radius from campus. That leaves the SEC as the only conference still enforcing a similar rule.
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