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Wake Forest head football coach, Dave Clawson, told Matt Murschel of the Orlando Sentinel that he is in favor of the Atlantic Coast Conference permitting "satellite camps." What exactly is a satellite camp? NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from hosting camps that take place more than 50 miles from campus. A satellite camp is a loophole to that rule, where a college coach serves as a guest of another coach hosting a camp. Typically these camps are hosted in recruiting hotbeds such as Georgia, Florida, Texas, etc. The ACC and SEC currently prohibit their coaches from participating in these camps. Would it be beneficial for Wake Forest if the ACC permitted these camps? I believe so.
Wake Forest HC Dave Clawson said he's for satellite camps: "I don’t think we should do anything that makes us less competitive nationally."
— Matt Murschel (@osmattmurschel) May 11, 2015
Clawson said he believes the issue of satellite camps will be up for discussion this week at ACC spring meetings.
— Matt Murschel (@osmattmurschel) May 11, 2015
North Carolina is a talent-rich state, but it does not have the same caliber of players as Florida, Georgia, Texas, or California. Co-hosting football camps in these locations would be advantageous on many levels for Wake Forest. In the age of YouTube, Hudl, and numerous recruiting services, finding talent is no longer that difficult. The difficulty is that prospects are committing earlier on in the recruiting cycle, which means getting players on campus earlier in the process is vital if a school is going to secure a commitment.
A problem with getting kids on campus earlier in the process is that the NCAA does not permit official (paid) visits to campus until a prospect's senior year. By this point, many recruits have already committed, though we all know in football that's not always binding. A problem for Wake Forest is that it's a very expensive trip for recruits to travel from South Florida, Texas, etc. to Wake's campus. Given that Wake does not have a rich football tradition, this makes it less likely that prospects are going to make that trip. Wake's staff has a number of engaging personalities. If they can get in front of the prospects, they will likely establish good relationships with players, and that makes them far more likely to visit on their own, or at the very least take an official visit to Wake. It's A LOT more cost effective for the coaching staff to be able to meet that many prospect at once, than have them come to Winston-Salem.
Clawson is also 100% accurate when he says that not allowing satellite camps puts at least several schools at a competitive disadvantage. The Big Ten currently allows its coaches to participate in satellite camps, and Wake routinely recruits against several of those schools, especially Minnesota. Besides, WE SIMPLY CANNOT LET RUTGERS TAKE OUR RECRUITS!
If the Atlantic Coast Conference begins permitting satellite camps, then Wake Forest fans should celebrate, because it will only help Wake's program. Do you agree?