When the NCAA banned satellite camps, there was outrage amongst coaches - some more so than others. But it's a topic I've been complaining about with Purdue for years.
What Michigan does with their camps 'nationwide' is not really realistic for Purdue (who the hell would show up).
However, things like what Missouri has been doing for years are exactly what Purdue should be implementing. Missouri is a lot like Purdue in many respects - the campus is not located in the population centers of the state and those centers are 2+ hours away from campus. So what do they do? Bring the camps to the population centers. This has helped improve their recruiting in-state as even though they are the only major in-state programs, their population centers are basically on the borders of states and places like Kansas City are similar in distance to Mizzou as they are to Lincoln, Nebraska.
So Mizzou set up camps in Kansas City (2 hours), St. Louis (2 hours) and Springfield (3 hours). While this is not a great example given the outcome later down the line, Mizzou was able to pick-up a commitment from Springfield from the #1 recruit in the country because he first got exposed to Mizzou and the coaching staff at the Springfield camp (without having ever been to campus). So not only does it give you additional exposure, builds relationships with in-state schools/staffs/players, etc. - it can actually help you with actual recruits that may not get exposed to Purdue because of where they live.
Not only would this be smart for Purdue to do - say in Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne, the Region for example - but on top of that, Purdue doesn't even offer overnight camps ON CAMPUS! Purdue's longest football camp lasts 4 hours. Missouri has camps that last 3 days on-campus. Most of Purdue's camps last 3 hours.
And this is not just a Hazell thing - Hope was the same thing.
Purdue's just not a program that's going to be able to do the status quo and expect to have great results. We can't do the motions and think we're going to win. Until Purdue starts thinking outside the box, it's going to have a hard time competing with the bottom of the Big Ten, let alone the elite.
What Michigan does with their camps 'nationwide' is not really realistic for Purdue (who the hell would show up).
However, things like what Missouri has been doing for years are exactly what Purdue should be implementing. Missouri is a lot like Purdue in many respects - the campus is not located in the population centers of the state and those centers are 2+ hours away from campus. So what do they do? Bring the camps to the population centers. This has helped improve their recruiting in-state as even though they are the only major in-state programs, their population centers are basically on the borders of states and places like Kansas City are similar in distance to Mizzou as they are to Lincoln, Nebraska.
So Mizzou set up camps in Kansas City (2 hours), St. Louis (2 hours) and Springfield (3 hours). While this is not a great example given the outcome later down the line, Mizzou was able to pick-up a commitment from Springfield from the #1 recruit in the country because he first got exposed to Mizzou and the coaching staff at the Springfield camp (without having ever been to campus). So not only does it give you additional exposure, builds relationships with in-state schools/staffs/players, etc. - it can actually help you with actual recruits that may not get exposed to Purdue because of where they live.
Not only would this be smart for Purdue to do - say in Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne, the Region for example - but on top of that, Purdue doesn't even offer overnight camps ON CAMPUS! Purdue's longest football camp lasts 4 hours. Missouri has camps that last 3 days on-campus. Most of Purdue's camps last 3 hours.
And this is not just a Hazell thing - Hope was the same thing.
Purdue's just not a program that's going to be able to do the status quo and expect to have great results. We can't do the motions and think we're going to win. Until Purdue starts thinking outside the box, it's going to have a hard time competing with the bottom of the Big Ten, let alone the elite.
