Alabama, Michigan to Work Satellite Camps Together: Comments and Reaction

Coaches from both Alabama and Michigan will attend a pair of satellite camps together next week amid verbal warfare between head coaches Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh about the use of such camps.

Sam Cooper of Yahoo Sports passed along the news. Old Dominion quarterbacks coach Ron Whitcomb confirmed Alabama's expected attendance at an ODU camp on Sunday. St. Frances Academy (Md.) coach Henry Russell noted that both Alabama and Michigan are expected at its camp on June 6.

It's unclear whether Saban and Harbaugh will cross paths at some point next week, though.

Harry Minium and Tom White of the Virginian-Pilot provided reaction from Old Dominion head coach Bobby Wilder, who noted that Alabama is holding its own camp with 600 players expected. He also stated that Harbaugh and Michigan, which is co-hosting the ODU event, had no problem with adding Tide coaches.

"Like I always do, I asked the school we're partnering with to get permission for another Power Five school to attend," Wilder said. "Like [Harbaugh] was with Wake Forest, he was fine with Alabama joining. He said, 'It's your camp, whatever you think is best for the kids is fine with us.'"

The exchange between the high-profile coaches began earlier in the week when Saban described satellite camps as the "Wild Wild West" due to the lack of standards. Brandon Marcello of SEC Country provided more of the Alabama head coach's thoughts on the subject:

"

Anybody can have a camp now. If they have a prospect, they can have a camp and then you're expected to go to that camp and then they can use you to promote their camp because Ohio State is coming, Alabama is coming, whoever else is coming. Somebody sponsors a camp, they pay them the money. What do they do with the money? And who makes sure the kid paid to go to the camp? I mean, this is the Wild Wild West at its best. There's been no specific guidelines relative to how we're managing and controlling this stuff. It's happening outside our normal evaluation window, which means we're taking time away from our players.

"

Harbaugh responded with a post on Twitter that generated a lot of buzz on social media:

Chris Low of ESPN.com provided Saban's response to that message: "That's his business. I don't really care what he thinks or tweets. I say what I think is best for college football and say what I think is best for the players and the kids. As I said [Tuesday], it's not about him or anybody else."

More than anything else, Alabama and Michigan attending the same camps showcases the importance of staying ahead of the curve on the recruiting trail.

Saban may not approve of the events, but he's not going to let Michigan get a leg up with potential recruits so long as they remain within the rules.

The NCAA Division I Council originally made a ruling to shut down satellite camps in early April. Paul Myerberg of USA Today reported that the NCAA Board of Governors reversed the decision less than three weeks later pending further recommendations, which are expected by Sept. 1.

In turn, the events will likely continue to generate massive interest throughout the summer.

Perhaps Saban and Harbaugh can get a chance to discuss their differences during one of them, even if it doesn't happen at the two camps their staffs will attend next week.