SEC Spring Meetings UPDATE: Coaches Ticked With NCAA Recruiting Rule Loophole Allowing 'Guest Coaching'

Coaches in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) are not happy with the loophole in the NCAA rules allowing the James Franklins of college football to recruit from inside their territory.

Earlier this month, Franklin, head football coach at Penn State (of the Big Ten), made headlines for guest coaching high school summer camps. Schools are not allowed to host camps more than 50 miles from campus, but Franklin quickly realized he and his staff were able to guest coach someone else's camp.

This loophole in the rules was one of the main talking points during the annual SEC spring meetings in Destin, Fla., ESPN reported. Coaches from the conference were adamant SEC commissioner Mike Silve find a way to get the NCAA to put an end to it.

Franklin is not technically breaking any rules and is not sacrificing his own camps close to State College, Pa., but the SEC has rules in place that do not allow guest coaching. Like Franklin, coaches from Oklahoma State and New Mexico have scheduled visits to several high school camps in Texas.

"It's that kind of thing that gets us to think about our rules," Slive told ESPN. "[The SEC coaches] like our rule; they don't like the so-called satellite camps. They see it as a loophole and asked us to see what we can do about that."

The SEC also had an idea for an early signing day, designed for players who have not plans to make an official visit to commit to a school. According to ESPN, the ACC coaches proposed Aug. 1 be the early signing day, but the SEC offered the Monday after Thanksgiving.

The early signing day would last only one day and would precede the official National Signing Day held the first Wednesday in February. The early date would only be targeting the young athletes who have all but made up their mind on which school they want to attend.

"There are varying opinions on what an early signing period would be," Slive told ESPN. "We would encourage to retain the current model.

"The first step is to retain the current model, and if there's a debate on an early signing day, we prefer this model [on the Monday after Thanksgiving]."

The theme of the SEC's meetings so far has reportedly been autonomy. The NCAA wants to pass a new proposal granting the five power conferences more autonomy in decisions that directly affect their schools and student-athletes. The power conferences have resisted, indicating they want the autonomy too, but on their own terms.