Tracking Ohio State's satellite camps

Satellite camps have been one of the hottest topics of the last year in college football. Controversy swirled around coaches from the Big Ten like Jim Harbaugh, Urban Meyer, and James Franklin heading down south to host camps in an attempt to pry away some of the country’s best talent from below the Mason-Dixon line. The drama was amplified many times over when the NCAA got involved, banning satellite camps and later overturning the ruling.

Since the decision to overturn the ban – a choice that has been considered both a no-brainer and that saw universal praise from coaches, parents, and athletes – Ohio State has been active in making sure they won’t be left out of the festivities.

Urban Meyer and his Buckeye coaching staff have made commitments to establish a presence at a number of prospect camps around the country in June. Ohio State will be participating in satellite camps across six different states at nine different locations, while also hosting prospects on six different dates on their own campus. The following is a comprehensive list of where you can expect the Buckeye coaching staff to be at in June, updated as needed when any new camps are announced:

Friday, June 3rd – Ohio State will be in the Lonestar State to participate in a camp with TCU and head coach Gary Patterson. Borrowing a moniker familiar to Buckeye fans, the Friday Night Lights Mini Camp will feature many top prospects from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the state of Texas. TCU also has plans to hold camps featuring coaches from Alabama and USC.

Friday, June 3rd to Saturday, June 4th – Concurrently with the TCU camp, Ohio State coaches will be in Atlanta alongside coaches from dozens of other programs for the Georgia edition of the Sound Mind Sound Body camp. The two-day event features both football and educational components for young athletes and is one of four Sound Mind Sound Body events Ohio State will appear at.

Monday, June 6th to Tuesday, June 7th – Ohio State coaches will be back in Texas at another major metropolitan area as they participate in their second Sound Mind Sound Body stop, this one in Houston. The event is sure to draw hundreds of prospects from around the region as dozens of coaching staffs once again flock to SMSB’s events.

Wednesday, June 8th – Much closer to home than other satellite camps, Ohio State will be making the short trip to Cleveland Heights for Mark Harris’ Raw Talent camp. Raw Talent trains many of northeast Ohio’s top athletes, including big-time wide receiver target Jaylen Harris. This will be the fourth annual Raw Talent camp and Michigan and Michigan State, among other programs, are expected to join the Buckeyes.

Wednesday, June 8th – Some of Ohio State’s coaches, including head coach Urban Meyer, will be out-of-state as they make the trip to New Jersey. Ohio State, Rutgers, and Temple will host the satellite camp at Farleigh Dickinson University and head coaches from all three programs will attend. The camp will be in direct competition with Michigan’s camp at Paramus Catholic on the same day, which will feature Jim Harbaugh and coaches from Pittsburgh, Maryland, and Boston College, among other schools.

Wednesday, June 8th to Friday, June 10th – Ohio State will host its annual three-day position camp for high school prospects at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. While the three-day camp does not usually feature as many elite prospects as Ohio State’s one-day camp, it’s frequently a great opportunity for Buckeye commits to spend time on campus working with future coaches and hanging out with players.

Thursday, June 9th to Friday, June 10th – Ohio State’s third stop on the Sound Mind Sound Body camp tour is a familiar one for the staff. The Detroit satellite camp is Sound Mind Sound Body’s best-known and longest-running event and Ohio State will once again be in attendance alongside many other programs. Elite prospects from around the Midwest always flock to the Motor City for this one.

Saturday. June 11th – Ohio State coaches should all be back at the headquarters for this one-day position camp on their Columbus campus at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center’s practice fields. The one-day position camps are some of the most important dates on the recruiting calendar in terms of seeing offers go out to top prospects and setting Ohio State’s recruiting board.

Sunday, June 12th – For the Buckeyes’ first stop of the year in Florida, Ohio State will attend their fourth and final (for now) Sound Mind Sound Body camp stop in Tampa. It is likely that top prospects from IMG Academy, Tampa Catholic, Berkeley Prep, and other top regional programs will make their way to the event, as well as players from around the state of Florida.

Tuesday, June 14th – Ohio State’s second one-day position camp in Columbus will be held on this date, another opportunity for prospects from around Ohio and the country to audition for a Buckeye offer and to work with the Ohio State coaches.

Thursday, June 16th – The Buckeyes will be back in the Sunshine State, as they head down to South Florida for a satellite camp at what has become somewhat of an Ohio State pipeline, St. Thomas Aquinas. The Raiders have sent the Bosa brothers and Damon Arnette to Columbus in recent years, and the country’s top wide receiver, Trevon Grimes, will be a key target at the much-anticipated event. Mississippi State, Arizona, and Boston College are expected to attend as well.

Thursday, June 16th – At the same time as the St. Thomas Aquinas event, Ohio State will be hosting a satellite camp at Georgia’s Central Gwinnett High School. The Atlanta-area program has previously sent linebacker Trey Johnson to the Buckeyes and will be the second opportunity of the year for the Peach State’s top talent to work with the Ohio State coaching staff.

Friday, June 17th – The third and final one-day position camp at Ohio State’s campus is also the final camp event scheduled for Ohio State prior to Friday Night Lights. The Woody Hayes Athletic Center will surely be teeming with road-weary coaches and some of the country’s best football talent.

Date TBA, July – While Ohio State has not yet officially announced a date, you can expect the annual Friday Night Lights camp in July to make its return again in 2016. Every year, Ohio State hosts top recruits and fans in Ohio Stadium under the lights for a prospect camp and it is always the biggest date on their recruiting calendar. This year will be no different.

This list will be updated periodically, if needed, as new satellite camps and dates on Ohio State's camps are announced.