By now we have probably had enough of the satellite camp discussion. That did not stop Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn from being on the receiving end of a question about his opinion on satellite camp practices, with Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh being singled out in the framing of the question.
“The chances of a team coming into our state and getting a player we or Alabama want is slim to none,” Malzahn said, seeming to shrug off the concept in one fell swoop.
In recent months the topic of satellite camps ignited once again as coaches from the Big Ten (Harbaugh, James Franklin at Penn State, Mike Riley at Nebraska and Urban Meyer at Ohio State) ventured into SEC and/or ACC terriroty to work at football camps. Some were unkind to coaches coming into their neck of the woods when the ACC and SEC rules prohibit their coaches from doing the same. For Malzahn, he may not particularly like the situation, but he came off as if it were no big deal because he knows a top talent in the state of Alabama has a much better chance of going to Auburn or Alabama than Michigan or Penn State or Nebraska.
Malzahn’s comments can be perceived as drawing a line in the sand with the Big Ten, but Malzahn also took a veiled shot at his in-state rival, Nick Saban, when discussing up-tempo offenses.
“Even the teams that used to gripe about it [pace] are doing it,” said Malzahn.
This is just day one of SEC Media Days, so hang in there for a week of this stuff.