ACC, SEC proposals would eliminate ‘satellite camps’

It appears an issue brought to the forefront by Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh over the summer could be coming to a head this winter.

On Friday the NCAA issued a release detailing 72 proposals that will be considered by Div. I membership in the coming months, including 14 that “would change rules in the areas of autonomy granted to the [ACC], Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and [SEC].” Two of those proposals relate directly to so-called “satellite camps” that were a hot-button issue this offseason.

From the NCAA’s release:

An ACC proposal that would apply to all of Division I if adopted would require a Football Bowl Subdivision school’s camp to be held on the school’s campus and limit FBS coaches and football personnel to working at only those camps. A similar proposal from the SEC would limit FBS coaches and football personnel to working at camps sponsored by his or her school.

Both the ACC and SEC were very publicly against the concept of “satellite camps” -- the latter threatened to join the craze if it isn’t abolished -- which takes advantage of what’s essentially a loophole in current NCAA bylaws that prohibits head coaches and their staffs from participating in football camps that are more than 50 miles from their campus. In the “satellite camps,” coaches such as Harbaugh were designated as guest coaches, but essentially ran these types of camps in recruiting hot-bed states like Alabama, California, Florida and Texas.

In order for the ACC’s and/or SEC’s proposal to pass, the majority of the 10 FBS conferences will need to vote in favor of it. The votes of the Power Five conferences — ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC — are weighted to count double of those cast by the Group of Five leagues — AAC, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt.

The voting on this and other proposals will take place in January at the 2016 NCAA Convention in San Antonio, Tex.