Johnson no fan of satellite camps

Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson isn’t in favor of satellite football camps, but not because he believes interlopers will poach his recruits.

“I worry we’re going to take the high school coaches out of the high school recruiting,” he said. “If you look at the satellite camps, it’s not the head high school coaches that are putting them on, not them bringing the kids.”

Johnson said one satellite camp held in the Atlanta area had nearly 1,000 participants.

“A thousand kids? On one football field? Who’s getting evaluated?” he asked.

Johnson said the advent of video has greatly reduced the chances of finding an unknown player at one of the camps.

“I’m not sure anybody is finding any hidden jewels,” he said.

Georgia Tech won’t get into the satellite business. Johnson prefers the personal touch with his recruits.

“For us, if we’re going to recruit guys, we’d much rather greet them on our campus,” he said. “We think we have a beautiful campus and a lot to sell. We’re rather get them on our campus than to have to travel.”

A ninth conference game?

With the launch of the ACC Network only a few years away, there could be a call for members to play a ninth conference game. Johnson said that would be a mistake.

“I think it’s tough as they move in that direction,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s good for college football to get away from those FCS games.”

Johnson said the smaller schools need to play FCS opponents in order to make enough money to field a team.

“It’s kind of a trickledown,” he said. “I went to school at Western Carolina and they need those paydays for their program. And then Mars Hill needs the payday from Western Carolina. If you take that away from those guys, it makes it really hard for them to play, and when you go to nine conference games and two Power Five games, they’re gone.”

Fan Day on Aug. 6

Georgia Tech will have its annual Fan Day on Aug. 6. Wreckfest will begin at 3:30 at Callaway Plaza on the north side of Bobby Dodd Stadium. Season ticket holders will be admitted to Bobby Dodd Stadium to meet the players and coaches at 4:30 p.m., with the public admitted at 5 p.m.

Johnson and the players will be available to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Officials ask fans to limit their requests to one item per student or coach. Any items of apparel should be held, not worn.

This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Johnson no fan of satellite camps."