Georgia State’s Trent Miles (AJC file)
The SEC’s football coaches surely aren’t going to be happy about this.
Both Penn State and Nebraska are partnering up with Georgia State at football camps in the Atlanta area this summer.
It's the second year in a row that Penn State's staff will take advantage of an NCAA loophole and work as "guest coaches" at Trent Miles Football Camp, while Nebraska will be coming for the first time. Georgia State is also "still in talks" with Notre Dame and Indiana about making appearances.
“I think it was a great turnout the last time we did it,” Miles told the AJC. “We ended up getting some commitments (for Georgia State) out of that camp. They (Penn State) can’t take them all. And I’m not recruiting against them.
“It’s a win-win for everybody. They (Penn State) get a good group of the kids that they want to see to come in. We get a higher ‘star guy’ onto campus. And you never know what can happen.”
Nick Saban (AP)
The NCAA doesn't allow a football program to host camps more than 50 miles from campus, but there's a loophole where coaches can serve as guest instructors anywhere. However, the SEC banned the loophole for its coaches, and those coaches aren't happy about it. On Tuesday, Alabama's Nick Saban called the satellite camps "ridiculous" – pretty much echoing the thoughts of every other SEC coach, and even the commissioner.
It's a growing trend in recruiting. New Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will be visiting nine football camps in seven states this June.
Back to Georgia State: Penn State will be at GSU’s camp on June 16 at Flowery Branch High School, while Nebraska will be with the Panthers on the day before at a site to be determined.
How did Nebraska get involved? Miles has several friends on the Nebraska coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Mark Barker – who was in Miles’ wedding.
“We just got to talking, and Nebraska got a quarterback out of Norcross a couple of years ago, and they want to do a good job recruiting in Atlanta and Georgia,” Miles said.
“It helps us again at Georgia State. We get quality student-athletes on our campus, and it also helps out the young men. Not all of them can afford to go to Lincoln, Nebraska, or to Penn State. So they get a chance to be seen by Power 5 conference teams right here, and by us.”
What about Notre Dame and Indiana? Could they come to Atlanta this summer or next? “I don’t know yet,” Miles said. “We are trying to get dates lined up, and logistics.”
Not surprisingly, Miles said he’s also been approached by other big schools which want to partner up in future years.
“There’s a lot of interest,” he said. “But this kind of thing has been going on for a while. This (concept) isn’t new. It just so happens last year and this year, this is going on in the SEC territory.
And as far as the SEC’s universal negative reaction to the satellite camps?
“People don’t like it, but they are usually in position at their schools where kids will pay their own way to fly in from all over the country (for camps),” Miles said. “At Georgia State, I can’t draw that same crowd as an Ohio State, Alabama or UGA. So it helps us draw prospects (to camp) by getting with teams that have national recognition.”
For more information on the camps, go to TrentMilesFootballCamp.com
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