Matthew Stevens

Montgomery Advertiser

AUBURN – Auburn has been announced as a partner in a satellite camp with Mercer University.

According to a post by Mercer’s football program on Twitter on Monday morning, Auburn is one of 10 schools that have agreed to participate in a satellite camp on the campus of the FCS football program in Macon, Ga.

The camp, which will also be attended by Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida and South Carolina will start on the same day as some Auburn coaches are scheduled to be at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for a satellite camp that will include staff from notable schools such as LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, Troy and South Alabama.

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors rescinded a ban on satellite camps that was voted on three weeks prior by the Division I council. The Southeastern Conference satellite camp rule, which prohibits league coaches and staff members from participating in camps that are more than 50 miles away from the school’s campus, expires on May 29.The MCA of Georgia Football Academy, a multiple-session camp to be at Woodland-Henry High School in Stockbridge, Georgia, on June 9-10, will have staff members from multiple Power 5 schools, including agreements from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.This is the second satellite camp Auburn has announced its participation in after plans were revealed for at least parts of the coaching staff to participate in the two-day camp being run by Minority Coaches Association of Georgia.

“While we are disappointed with the NCAA governance process result, we respect the Board of Directors’ decision and are confident SEC football programs will continue to be highly effective in their recruiting efforts,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said via a league release. “SEC coaches will be allowed to engage in summer camps as a result of Conference legislation approved during the 2015 SEC Spring Meetings.”

The Montgomery Advertiser suggested Thursday that Florida would make the most sense for Auburn satellite camps as the Tigers have 18 current members of its spring roster and six more incoming freshmen scheduled to arrive for fall camp from the state of Florida. Auburn has made no secret it intends to maintain a consistent relationship with coaches, players and talent evaluators in Florida.

When fall camp begins in August, Auburn will have three quarterbacks born in Florida with John Franklin III from Fort Lauderdale, Sean White from Boca Raton and incoming 4-star freshman Woody Barrett from near the Orlando area.

“Florida is the third state that we really hang our hat on and (four-star wide receiver signee from Auburn’s 2016 recruiting class) Nate Craig-Myers is a guy that we identified as the top guy in that state over two years ago,” Malzahn said on signing day back on Feb. 3, 2016.

According to SEC Country report, Auburn would be looking to partner its Tampa camp with Tampa Catholic High School, where Craig-Myers attended was signed out of in this 2016 recruiting class.

Miami is a market where Auburn currently has two impact defensive players (cornerback Carlton Davis and defensive end Paul James III).