SEC meetings are being held this week as the coaches, athletic directors and presidents come together in order to discuss the most pressing issues they feel need to be addressed. Satellite camp talk, revenue distribution and the SEC network have dominated the agenda over the past couple of years and while those things are bound to be discussed again this year they won’t be the only topics on the table. Here is a look at four things to expect from the SEC spring meetings.
Satellite Camps
The NCAA was smart to reverse its ban on satellite camps and while it won’t stay that way forever the issue needs to be addressed right now. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is expected to deliver a proposal for how to address the satellite camps moving forward and it will be interesting to see what he has in store. The camps are certainly beneficial for teams like Missouri and Arkansas that love to recruit out of Texas but it isn’t nearly as beneficial for some of the other teams. A decision will have to be made on how the SEC wants to deal with the issue as a conference and there is no doubt it will be on the agenda for the spring meetings this week.
Player Behavior
One significant issue that will likely have to be addressed is the behavior of the players after schools were forced to deal with several off-field issues over the summer. The SEC took unprecedented measures when announced that it would invoke the “Jonathan Taylor rule”, which prevents potential transfer players with a history of sexual violence, sexual assault and domestic violence from entering the conference without a waiver. That is definitely a step in the right direction but there is likely more than the SEC will be able to do to curb the issues so it makes sense that they will address player behavior at the spring meetings this week.
Spring Break Practices
The Pac-12 passed a rule that barred its teams from holding practices over the spring break and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the SEC followed suit. This is one of those rules that has many opinions across the spectrum so it’s hard to get on the same page. There are some coaches that want to get the most out of their players in the offseason and they work them harder. Sometimes that works but often times it just wears down the kids by December and January. Then there are the player’s coaches who go easier on the players, which keeps them fresh but sometimes that lenience leads to weaker discipline.
Jim Harbaugh comes from the dictator camp, so it’s no surprise that he and his team are a big fan of this. Hnd his staff held a week long practice for Michigan in Florida over the spring break and there is a good chance that the SEC will want to prevent its schools from doing the same. The Wolverines players were actually really happy about the trip and voiced their support for the decision to hold practices over the break but there is a good chance the SEC will step in and make sure their schools don’t follow suit anyways. The NFL has eased up significantly on offseason practices for the pros and the college ranks have to follow. Otherwise, there could be player safety issues that crop up as injuries occur.
Finding The Proper Work-School Balance
College football is essentially a full-time job and with players already under the burden of dealing with football and their school clearly don’t have the time to do much else. Just like they will address the issue of practices during spring break, it would make sense if they came up with conditions for how many hours per week the players should have to commit to football. The student-athletes are being compensated with a free education, housing, meals and athletic training but they will need time for other things as well and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the SEC discussed the potential for some guidelines to prevent the players from being overworked. Again, this is tied closely to how the NFL treats their players. There has to be boundaries on the time that is demanded and those limits are very grey at the college level. Hopefully they can define them a little bit at the spring meetings.
