Michigan head football coach, Jim Harbaugh, has been the biggest advocate for satellite football camps. Satellite camps are football camps for high schoolers hosted by college coaches that are off campus, hence the word satellite. Satellite camps have been a controversial topic, and while there are many coaches and people who are in favor of these camps like me, there are some people (cough cough) the SEC who are not big fans of satellite camps.

Alabama head coach, Nick Saban has publicly shown his disapproval of these camps. “I’m saying [Satellite camps] are bad for college football”, said Saban. One of Saban’s biggest points against these camps is that there are no specific guidelines and he believes that many college coaches could be breaking NCAA rules. While this could be true I believe that it is very unlikely.
The real reason Saban and the other SEC coaches hate satellite camps is because they do not want other coaches encroaching on their recruiting territory. Jim Harbaugh has quickly become Saban’s and the SEC’s biggest nightmare by holding these camps in the southeast and others areas as well. This is a selfish act by Nick Saban and everyone against satellite camps.

These traveling camps are very beneficial for the high school football players, and that is the most important factor. 86 percent of college athletes live below the poverty line. Going on trips to colleges to just attend camps can be very expensive and many families of these athletes cannot afford to go on these trips. With satellite camps coming to the high schools it is very convenient for the players and the families. By campaigning against satellite camps, Nick Saban is trying to take away or limit opportunities for 17 and 18 year old athletes. So why is he doing this? Seems self-serving to me.
Harbaugh has commented on Saban’s actions by tweeting, “Amazing to me- Alabama broke NCAA rules & now their HC is lecturing us on the possibility of rules being broken at camps. Truly amazing.”

Jim Harbaugh vs Nick Saban is developing into a fantastic coaching rivalry, and this makes me even more excited for the college football season.