Perhaps you have heard, but satellite camps have seen their share of controversy in recent months. In a nutshell, these events allow college coaches to travel far and wide to serve as guests at camps held at locations across the country. The controversy stemmed from other conferences – most notably the SEC and ACC – having strict rules preventing their coaches from traveling more than 50 miles to attend said camps.
Back in early April, the NCAA announced that satellite camps had been banned. However, it only took a few weeks for that ban to be rescinded. As a result, the SEC and ACC have backed off of their own rules and will now allow member schools to travel greater distances to attend these camps.
The Big Ten – and especially Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines – have been at the center of this controversy thanks in part to last year's "Summer Swarm Tour" that saw Harbaugh and Co. hold camps in seven different states while costing the university about $212K in the process.
While the presence of these camps continues to be heavily scrutinized, one thing is for certain: June is going to be a big month for the Big Ten's best.
The Wolverines are expected to take the June camp circuit to a new level this year as they will be traveling to 16 states and will include stops in Australia and American Samoa. The additions of the international trips means that grand tally for the Wolverines this June is quickly approaching 30 camps.
One of the bigger events of the summer is expected to take place in the Garden State on June 8. It's no secret that Michigan has made it a point to recruit the heck out of the state of New Jersey as they've landed players like Jabrill Peppers, Kareem Walker, Rashan Gary and a number of others over the last three years. The Buckeyes will look to make their own Jersey push when they team up with former coach Chris Ash and the Temple Owls for a camp at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham in Madison, New Jersey.
Come join us at the best camp on the East Coast. Get coached by 3 great coaching staffs. pic.twitter.com/wzVv4k2dVB
— Chris Ash (@CoachChrisAsh) May 9, 2016
The timing of the camp is especially interesting since Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverine staff will be a short drive away at Paramus Catholic High School. Paramus is one of the state's premier programs and is also the old stomping grounds for Chris Partridge, Michigan's current linebacker/special teams coach.
As for the players who could be in attendance, the Wolverines are the team to beat for Paramus defensive tackle Corey Bolds and linebacker Drew Singleton. Ohio State and Michigan both remain in the hunt – along with Penn State and Rutgers – for defensive tackle Fred Hansard (Princeton, NJ).
The conflicting events have caused a bit of backlash from the locals as a number of players will now be faced with a tough decision as to which camp they will be attending.
Both rivals will be on hand in Fort Lauderdale next month as they look to check out one of the nation's top programs. St. Thomas Aquinas has been especially good to the Buckeyes as Urban Meyer has landed a pair of Bosas and defensive back Damon Arnette in recent years. Ohio State is scheduled to make the trip on June 16 while the Wolverines will be in town on the third.
This year the focus is expected to be on 2017 wideout Trevon Grimes. The Buckeyes have been the team to beat for a long while now and getting more face time with one of the country's top receivers certainly won't hurt the chances he ends up in Columbus. Looking ahead to 2018, defensive end Nik Bonitto and wideout Elijah Moore are both currently ranked in the 247Sports Top 100.
June 8 and 9 are set to be big days for the Wolverines in Ohio as the coaching staff will hit up Cleveland Heights first and then Warren Harding and Fairfield High on the following day. The Buckeyes will also be present in Cleveland for the "Raw Talent U" Camp. Wide receiver Jaylen Harris (Cleveland Heights) has been offered by both Ohio State and Michigan. Warren Hardin's Lynn Bowden is the state's top-ranked athlete. The recent Hoosier decommit received a Michigan offer in January, but right now he is believed to be leaning toward East Lansing.
Fairfield's Jackson Carman is the state's top rated offensive lineman for the 2018 class. The 6-foot-6, 294-pounder visited Ohio State multiple times in April but also took a trip to Ann Arbor. Considered a Buckeye lean right now, Carman will certainly get a lot of attention from the Michigan staff.
Michigan will get another up-close look at Jackson Carman on June 9th.
The Sound Mind Sound Body camps are always some of the more prolific ones of the summer, and this year there will again be a heavy Buckeye and Wolverine presence. Ohio State will be in Houston for SMSB Southwest Regional on June 6 and 7. Both staffs will be on hand in Detroit on June 9 and 10 for the Midwest Regional. Cass Tech standouts Donovan Peoples-Jones and Jaylen Kelly-Powell will be two of the most closely watched players in attendance. Peoples-Jones' recruitment appears to be wide open right now while Kelly-Powell is expected to remain in the state for his college ball.
The Wolverines are also expected to make camp stops in Alabama, South Carolina, and California. Last year's stop in Alabama netted Michigan a commit from linebacker Dytarious Johnson (Prattville). Harbaugh has already found success on the West Coast as he brought in a pair of California four-stars this past February in defensive back David Long and wide receiver Dylan Crawford. The nation's top 2017 prospect – Antioch, CA running back Najee Harris – visited Ohio State last month and has discussed a trip to Michigan this spring.
Ohio State coaches will be a part of TCU and Gary Patterson's Friday Night Lights minicamp on June 3. Alabama and USC are also expected to participate. The Buckeyes could use this as an opportunity to see running back commit J.K. Dobbins as well as top defensive back target Jeffrey Okudah.
Since his arrival at Ohio State, Urban Meyer has had some major success in the state of Georgia, and it's no surprise that the Buckeyes will make the trek to Lawrenceville for a camp at Central Gwinnett High School in mid-June. The success of both Vonn Bell and Raekwon McMillan is certainly something they can hang their hat on when working the other Georgia recruits. Tim Beck extended an offer to Emory Jones (Franklin, GA) just yesterday and the recruitment may come down to the Buckeyes and Volunteers.
