Ohio State's Urban Meyer Wise to Hold a Satellite Camp in Georgia

The latest chess move in the raging debate over the validity of satellite camps has been made by Big Ten power Ohio State.

According to Kipp Adams of 247Sports, Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer and his staff will take part in a camp at Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on June 16. They also have plans to potentially set up a similar camp in Florida.

While fellow Big Ten rival Michigan has created its share of headlines since head coach Jim Harbaugh held camps in areas such as Alabama, Florida and Texas last year, the Buckeyes' foray into the southeastern part of the country suggests that these camps are well worth any potential landmines that could emerge from participating in them.

The move makes sense for a number of reasons.

While Buckeyes fans may not want to view their participation in these camps through this particular prism, it’s hard to argue with the success the Wolverines have enjoyed on the recruiting trail under Harbaugh.

After Harbaugh took over in Ann Arbor in December 2014, his first class in the 2015 cycle finished No. 37 nationally. One year later, in his first full cycle and during his marathon run around the country participating in satellite camps, the Wolverines finished with the No. 5 class in the country for the 2016 cycle.

Additionally, that Michigan class featured players from 13 different states—including territories such as Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Satellite camps weren't the sole reason for Michigan's success, but the argument can be made that it helped increase the Wolverines' presence in other areas around the nation. 

While Ohio State—who has signed top-five classes in four of the last five years and currently has the nation’s No. 1 class in 2017—isn’t exactly in need of a boost with its recruiting efforts, having Meyer and his staff front and center in two of the nation’s premier hotbeds of talent could make their jobs a little easier.

Florida’s reputation for breeding talent is well-known.

However, as Adams points out, Gwinnett County—which is on the northern end of the metro Atlanta area—pumps out more than 50 FBS prospects on an annual basis.

In this cycle alone, prospects such as 5-star corner Deangelo Gibbs, 4-star athlete Jamyest Williams and 4-star offensive tackle Tony Gray—each of whom has an Ohio State offer—are among the elite talents with national offer lists who call Gwinnett County home.

Furthermore, the Buckeyes have a history of plucking talent from both Florida and Georgia.

Since 2011, Ohio State has signed 19 total prospects from those two states (13 from Florida, six from Georgia). They have another three players from the Sunshine State committed in the 2017 cycle.

Getting the ability to evaluate talent and cultivate long-term relationships in these areas is an opportunity simply too good to pass up.

While the NCAA decides on what to do about satellite camps moving forward, Meyer and his staff are wise to use any advantage they can to help them lure talent to Columbus.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.