Michigan is taking the satellite camp game to the next level, and will be taking part in a camp in Australia later this summer.
Michigan is expanding its satellite camp territory all the way to Australia
Might as well!
Breaking News, Prokick has Michigan coming to town. Gridiron Players in Aus are in for a real treat. Massive 4 AUS pic.twitter.com/1Tejk34aWM
— Nathan Chapman (@ProkickAus) May 11, 2016
It’s unclear whether Jim Harbaugh will be making the trip, but it appears a large number of Michigan’s assistants will be there. Wolverine coaches also will be at a pair of satellite camps in Florida on the same day, and obviously it won’t be possible for coaches to go to all of them at the same time. It sounds like this won’t be Michigan’s last far-flung camp of the summer, too.
The camp is open to all players, but college teams have had lots of success in recent years getting kickers and punters from Australia. The past three Ray Guy Awards — given to the nation's best punter — have gone to a pair of Australians in Utah's Tom Hackett and Memphis' Tom Hornsey. Former LSU punter of note Brad Wing was also Australian, as is Michigan's current punter, Blake O'Neill.
Hackett is a product of the Prokick program that’s partnering with Michigan for this camp, and just signed with the New York Jets. He also has this colorful take on why he ended up playing American football:
Alright, so the main reason I’m playing this sport is because deep down I’m fat and I don’t like running very far. So I’m running 20-odd yards on and 20-odd yards off, and that’s about all I got for you.
Punters aren't the only Australians making an impact in college football. Former Maryland kicker and 2014 Lou Groza Award winner Brad Craddock is from Australia as well. On the NFL level, former rugby league star Jarryd Hayne plays for the San Francisco 49ers as a running back.
Considering how hard it is for college teams to get great kickers and punters, maybe going to Australia isn’t such a bad idea. And even if they don’t find any good prospects, a trip to Australia in the middle of the offseason is probably a better vacation than most college football coaches get.
See More:
