There wasn't much of an offseason for college football coaches before the proliferation of satellite camps began a year ago, and the camps have made for even less time off. At least one NFL coach is glad to be removed from the camp craze, which was sparked by Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
"Glad I'm coaching in the NFL. My college coaching buddies are miserable. No time off," the coach said, per NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
With spring practices in April and coaching preparations for fall camp getting underway in July, the months of May and June are the closest thing to down time that college coaches ever see. And the satellite camps Harbaugh has popularized are putting coaches, including a lot of assistant coaches, on the road during that period. Satellite camps are off-campus camps typically conducted by high schools, but under NCAA rules, college coaches are permitted to assist with the camps in an official capacity.
Some colleges might be represented by only one assistant coach at a given camp, but with the chance to be around some top recruits, assistants at some programs are being dispatched at a rapid rate.
Cal coach Sonny Dykes' staff will participate in camps this summer, but he doesn't see much value in them for college coaches, aside from the publicity they offer.
"I think the satellite camp thing is a little bit silly," Dykes said, according to ESPN. "I think it's all about generating attention, and I get that."
Alabama coach Nick Saban is no fan of satellite camps and has spoken out against them. He called the satellite-camp landscape "the wild, wild West" for its lack of regulation. Harbaugh, in turn, took a shot at Saban via Twitter and called the Alabama coach's remarks hypocritical.
Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze takes the perspective of the NFL coach who spoke to Jeremiah. During a brief period this spring when the NCAA had banned satellite camps, Freeze told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger he favored the ban.
"I'm selfish with my time," Freeze said. "I'm away from my family enough, and I just did not want to go."
Perhaps very few really want to go. But if there's a recruiting edge to be had, there isn't much choice.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
