Harty: Sleepovers a much bigger problem than satellite camps
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Now that the NCAA has shut down satellite camps effective immediately, why stop there?
Big-time college football recruiting could use a few more changes now that Jim Harbaugh is coaching the Michigan Wolverines in order to restore some order.
In addition to shutting down satellite camps, the NCAA also should prohibit coaches from having sleepovers with recruits for no other reason than it’s weird, creepy and excessive.
You could make a strong argument in support of having satellite camps because they help to cast a wider recruiting net that could potentially lead to more prospects getting scholarships.
Detractors, on the other hand, consider satellite camps to be a threat.
And since the Southeastern Conference is considered the biggest detractor, the NCAA is being criticized for caving to its demands.
Whatever the case, there is a positive side to having satellite camps, whereas with sleepovers, the only positive is that Harbaugh appears to be the only coach using them right now as a recruiting tool.
It’s hard even to imagine Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz arriving at a recruit’s house with a sleeping bag, pajamas and a sales pitch.
Harbaugh seems determined to push the envelope in every way possible to gain a recruiting edge. You admire his tenacity and his creativity to an extent. But you also question his methods because being creative is one thing, being weird is another.
I’m all for giving head coaches and recruits enough time to build a relationship during the recruiting process. But there are ways to achieve that without having five-star slumber parties.
They don’t always work, either, considering Harbaugh is batting .500 in sleepovers.
His persistence paid off with star kicker and Michigan native Quinn Nordin, who switched his commitment from Penn State to Michigan after having a sleepover with Harbaugh in January.
Harbaugh reportedly spent the night at Nordin’s house and went to school with him the next day. The 52-year old Michigan coach then drove Nordin to Ann Arbor for his official visit. Nordin decommitted from Penn State a little more than a week later.
On the flipside, four-star defensive end Connor Murphy opted to play for Southern California instead of Michigan despite having Harbaugh spend the night at his home in Phoenix.
So in addition to being creepy, sleepovers don’t always work.
Judging from how quickly the NCAA acted with regard to shutting down satellite camps, it can make decisions in a hurry when pressed to do so.
The NCAA shouldn’t have to be encouraged to prohibit sleepovers. How hard would it be to pass a rule that simply says coaches can’t spend the night with a recruit under any circumstance?
You almost wonder why there is no rule prohibiting sleepovers in place already. The answer seems to be that the behavior is so odd that you wouldn’t expect it to happen.