One of the biggest platforms for advocates of satellite camps was how many scholarship opportunities are presented to kids in attendance that impress college coaches working the camps.
While that is certainly true to a certain extent, Urban Meyer has a different stance that he shared with players in attendance at a camp in Columbus over the weekend, and 247 was there to capture that message.
"For some reason, this whole recruiting thing is blowing up. Kids say 'I have to go to this 7-on-7, or do this or this. I've got a better idea. Go become a great high school football player on your team. When we walk into that high school, guess what that head coach says? 'Take him.' And you know what we do at Ohio State when he says that? We usually take him."
"I don't care what you do at camps. I want to hear your high school coach say 'Take him.' If I have a relationship with that high school coach like I do with these NFL coaches, guess what happens? We take him."
Don't worry about the camps. That's all fun and stuff, but that's not why Ohio State recruits you. I can speak for the majority of my friends that coach football - that means nothing. What means something is the recommendation of the high school football coach. Go become a captain. If you're a captain of your high school team and you're talented enough, you've got a great chance of being here. If you're very talented and you're not a captain, then I'm going to find out why because something is not right."
A week or so back, Nick Saban made some waves by saying that "football is the only high school sport where the high school coach still mattered, and satellite camps were in danger of destroying that.
Meyer's message is an important one for high school players, and their coaches to hear. Don't sweat the hyped up camps and the 7-on-7 stuff, focus on becoming the best player on your team and earning the unwavering recommendation of your high school coach because that's what matters most to college coaches across all levels.
"Parents ask me all the time, 'Should I send him to that camp?' Well, sure if you have $80 to blow then go ahead. Here's where you start - go make your high school coach so proud of you that he's going to tell college coaches, 'Take him.' How cool is that? It's real simple. Don't complicate things."
See more from Urban's talk with camp attendees below.