Camps

Many parents ask me what camps they should send their kids to, and are they actually worth the money? The answer is: There are several great camps out there, and yes (if you pick the right ones) they're worth the money.

First let me start with my favorite because again...it's FREE, and it gives tons of exposure to the athletes in attendance. I'm referring to the Nike Camps that are held yearly all over the country on the campuses of several major DI schools. DO NOT confuse the Nike Camps with the Nike Combines. The combines are open to everyone, and they conduct testing. The Nike Camps are invitation only, and they do not conduct testing. The camps do position specific drills, and one on one drills.

To be invited to a Nike Camp you can either have a great performance at a Nike Combine, be recognized as a top prospect, be a former camp participant, or simply have your Head Football Coach contact Brian@StudentSports.com and recommend you as a legit DI prospect. There is a limit to how many athletes each high school can send. Very few if any athletes that are not at least rising juniors will be given an invitation. You can learn more about the Nike Camps by clicking on the Nike Camps link to the right of this blog.

There have been Nike Camps where over 20 major college head coaches have been in attendance including such names as : Charlie Weiss, Urban Meyer, and Mark Richt. NCAA guidelines dictate when a college coach can attend, BUT they are often in hiding watching from a distance on the dates they are not allowed to be on the field with the athletes.

In addition to testing your skills against the top prospects in the country, you will get great exposure from the Rivals network if you perform well, you'll be watched by coaches from major programs (as described above), and you'll get valuable speed training from Coach Tom Shaw (link on the right)...all for free!

So what about pay camps? The first one I believe to be worth the money is a lineman camp called "The Down and Dirty Camp". This is THE lineman camp! There is contact involved, it's conducted by several college coaches from all over america, and it's recognized nationwide as the elite lineman camp. If you're a lineman looking for a camp then this is it. There is a link to this camp on the right of this blog, and you'll find everything you need to know there.

The next pay camps that I believe are worth the money (when chosen properly) are the summer camps that each university does. You can find information on each school's camp by looking on their official web site, and looking for their summer camps link. If you can't find the link...you can always call the football office for that particular school, and ask for the information. You can find the phone number on the school's official web site.

I say "When chosen properly" for this reason: If you try to attend every camp that sends you a brochure during the recruiting process...you'll go broke! Before you travel from Florida to Louisiana to Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, and then back to Florida...make sure you're doing it because it's worth it.

Schools often mail out camp brochures "inviting you as a top prospect" just because your name popped up on a recruiting list they subscribe to, and in reality they don't know you from adam. You show up thinking you're special only to realize they don't know your name, where you're from, or what position you play. Why do schools do this? Well again...some grad assistant saw you on a list...it cost the school 41 cents to mail the brochure, and who knows? Maybe you'll attend, and turn out to be just what they're looking for...if not it only cost them the postage. You on the other hand will likely be out several hundred dollars in camp costs, food, and travel expenses.

So which ones are worth it? I would suggest attending the ones that are conducted by schools you really have an interest in, AND YOU KNOW you'll perform so well at the camp it will put you on their "radar". Be realistic...if you stink...you stink...save your money. If you perform poorly at camps, but your game film is awesome...don't attend the camp. You can always pass the coaches "eyeball test" at an unofficial visit during the season (we'll discuss visits in a later blog) save your money.

The other university camps I consider worth the money are the camps being held by schools that truly have an interest in you. If you're getting hand written letters or cards (not form letters) they're probably really looking at you. Colleges can only call during specific times based on NCAA rules, but you can call them ANYTIME. If you get a hand written card or letter I suggest that the parents and the athlete call the school and talk to the coach. You can really gage their interest, and get a good idea if it's worth the money to attend their camp. If you already have an offer from that school you can skip the camp. You already got what you want...don't risk a poor performance making them second guess their offer.

Lets face it...despite how these university camps are marketed...they are evaluation camps. Sure there are kids of all ages, but they have to allow that because of the NCAA. They really have these camps to see first hand, and work with first hand, the players they have seen on the all county lists, all state lists, and on the recruiting services lists. They're also hoping to find that "sleeper" that no-one is talking about.

You'll know if you performed well at the camp if the coach asks you send them your game film, tells you they'll be at your school to see you, gives you some one on one time with the head coach, asks for your contact information, or a combination of any of these. Of course there is no doubt what they think if you get a scholarship offer.

Just be careful, do your research, and spend your money wisely. Camps (when chosen properly) can be a great asset to getting you a scholarship offer.

If you have a question...post a comment.