Mullen: No satellite camps 'best for college football'

STARKVILLE — Dan Mullen built his stance against satellite camps on two pillars: Family and compliance.

In the end, the NCAA's decision on Friday to outlaw universities holding camps away from campus sided with Mississippi State's head coach. The decision marked an off-field win for the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference, which campaigned against the camps.

“I think everybody in the SEC as a league we thought we were against that,” Mullen said. “I think it opens a pandora’s box out there.”

Mullen first pointed to the members of Mississippi State’s compliance office that attended Saturday’s scrimmage and each practice.

They also attended MSU’s on-campus camps.

“Are they flying their whole compliance office to these camps, making sure things are done right?” Mullen said. “ All that. Our compliance guys are at practice here. And budgetarily, (the NCAA's decision) made sense to me.”

Fundamentally, as a recruiter, Mullen disagreed with traveling to host camps.

“I want guys coming to our campus for camps,” Mullen said. “Young men come and get the experience of being on a college campus, seeing what the experience is, seeing what it’s all about here at a place like Mississippi State.”

Of course, holding a Mississippi State camp in Florida, for example, wouldn’t prevent potential recruits from then taking an official visit to Starkville. But outlawing satellite camps ensures more time for coaches in their home states.

Miami coach Mark Richt said last year while coaching Georgia, the camps would wear SEC coaches too thin. Mullen expressed a similar sentiment on Saturday.

“We’re trying to help develop and teach young people and help them grow,” Mullen said. “And then they look to their mentor and coach and say, 'Have you ever seen your family?' and we say, ‘No, I’ve never seen my family.’ I don’t know what type of example some of that sets.”

The discussion over satellite camps emerged after Big Ten coaches like Michigan's Jim Harbaugh and Penn State’s James Franklin held camps throughout the south. Harbaugh was scheduled to host a camp on June 8 in Pearl.

The NCAA’s ruling on Friday changed all that and from Mississippi State and the SEC’s perspective it was for the better.

“There are so many different things that played into it,” Mullen said. “I think it’s what’s best for college football right now.”

Contact Michael Bonner at mbonner@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @MikeBBonner on Twitter.