Let Addazio barnstorm

The satellite football camps started last year with Penn State in Atlanta. This week Jim Harbaugh took it to a new level by hosting a series of camps around the country and far from Ann Arbor. These are a great idea and seem like a natural fit for Addazio's energy and approach. But our coach cannot match Harbaugh's itinerary. Per ACC rules, all of BC's camps must be within 50 miles of campus. This rule -- shared with the SEC -- is designed to protect fertile recruiting territories in the south. This stink and BC needs to lead the change on this issue.

As much as I would like to think a BC camp in Sturbridge would be as fruitful as Michigan's in Dallas, the satellites with geographic restrictions are useless to BC. We have a good feel for all the talent near campus. I would guess that most ACC and SEC schools feel the same way. The benefit of the barnstorming camps is that you reach beyond your local pool. Coaches meet kids that they will never get to visit campus and get to see them athletically in drills run by BC coaches.

The Big Ten powers are doing this to steal top talent from the SEC. Even if we created camps everywhere, BC won't suddenly bring in five stars from the Deep South. However, this could make us a factor in that tier of recruits just below the elite. Plus camps are a way to unearth a hidden gem far from New England.

Unlike many of the big state schools, we already have a natural footprint to host the camps. We could approach Jesuit schools in Southern California, Cincinnati, Dallas and Tampa and invited prospects from the region. It's a win-win for the schools, the recruits and BC. The only group hurt are the local programs.

The ACC coaches will address the issue soon. My prediction is that they will first see if they can create an NCAA rule to limit the Big Ten schools. Hopefully that fails and instead they open up the restrictions. When they do, I will volunteer to host the first BC camp in my backyard.