Meyer hopes the NCAA will reconsider recent moves

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The recent NCAA ruling doing away with satellite camps has been a polarizing issue among fans and among coaches. While the spirit of the rule may have been to do away with schools latching on out of their region at other camps to expand visibility the unintended collateral damage has been for smaller programs not being able to work camps at bigger schools.

Through the years the Ohio State camps have been open to coaching staffs in the Mid-American Conference as well as other smaller regional schools. That is now a thing of the past. As is schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and others going up to Detroit and working the Sound Mind/Sound Body camp. A camp that has produced a lot of talent that not only ends up on Big Ten rosters but rosters throughout college football at every division.

"The biggest thing that I did not realize that was part of it is that now that the MAC schools can't come here," Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said on Monday during his weekly press availability. "Probably hundreds of scholarships have come out of here to those young players. I know my son (Nate) is getting recruited now a little bit and what camps do you send him to? Not many kids can play at Ohio State, so don't send them, or send them. I did not realize that was part of the conversation about… I wish they would revisit that part of it."

The SEC and ACC both were very much against the proliferation of satellite camps but it really only became a front page issue when Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh took it to the next level and went right into the heart of SEC country and made countless headlines by trying to kick down the door in recruiting. While Michigan was getting headlines, other schools like Ohio State and Nebraska were involved in satellite camps as well.

Ohio State was not likely going to see a dramatic increase in its recruiting success with these camps, there are just only so many spots that Ohio State can fill each year. But the addition of schools like the Big Ten schools to these camp rosters would draw out more kids to attend these camps and provide more exposure to some players who likely would have gone either under-recruited or non-recruited through the process.

"Sometimes I think there is a knee-jerk reaction because people complain and all that, and I get that," Meyer said. "I think there is a slippery slope. I am not worried about the high, high level players because they are going to find a way to get where they are going to get. I am talking about there is a big chunk of players out there that deserve to play major college football. I hope they revisit."

Lost in all the news about satellite camps largely was another rule that the NCAA addressed with the deregulation of electronic communication in football, cross country, track and field and swimming and diving. Meyer has had strong feelings about the over-saturation that the top players are receiving in terms of contact with coaches and does not see this move as a step in the right direction.

"Someone told me they passed a texting rule, that is the most ignorant thing that I have ever heard," Meyer said. "Because they can't manage the coaches, they can't police the coaches... okay, fire the coaches that do it. Fire them. Make the penalty so absolute out of control that they won't do it. You will never coach again in major college football if you on purpose text someone."

Meyer wondered aloud if these rules were put in place for the sake of the student athletes or rather just to take things off the plate in terms of regulation and policing.

"Because it is easier on coaches, or maybe it is easier for the enforcement because they just can't… because people are doing it. It just does not make sense to me," Meyer said.

The lack of student athletes in the process of making the rules that govern the welfare of the same student athletes is a problem to Meyer.

"Put a student athlete on that same committee and say what do you guys think?" Meyer said. "Ask them what is your opinion of this? And listen to them. If it is as strong as I saw where some kids are saying that they don't know, if you take away this camp, those are opportunities away from players.

"Well, but these coaches don't like it. That’s okay, listen to the student athlete, what do they have to say about it? I think we learned our lesson with the families getting to go (to the CFP playoff). My question is, why was that not done when they first brought up the College Football Playoff?"

The NCAA does not reverse course all that often but Meyer is hoping this may be one of those times, but for now everything is focused on Ohio State's spring practice which comes to an end this week with the annual spring game.

"I am going to get through spring football and then we might decide but we have got to get ready for Wednesday's practice," Meyer said. "I hope they reconsider it, I hope after an article that one of you guys does, maybe they will call and ask our opinion."