Competition is constantly growing, especially in Tampa Bay where it saw two state championships crowned this year and another crowed last year.
With team competition rapidly growing competition to earn scholarships is also quickly becoming greater. Players are getting recruited at younger ages each season. While the high school football season is only 15 games long, the recruiting season is much longer and begins, sometimes, before the player even enrolls in high school.
College coaches can only offer so many scholarships so it’s more important than ever to market yourself effectively from an early age. A combine is a great way to get on the radar of a number of schools in one afternoon.
“College coaches comb through every bit of information they can find on prospects and it’s important they get measurable such as 40 times,” Mike Capshaw, Managing Editor for Gator Country Magazine and GatorCountry.com, said. “Coaches want to use measurables from independent testing, so the level of accuracy is higher.”
While the successful programs seem to put the most players in college, see Armwood (11) and Plant (9), a combine allows a number of players, which are sometime unknown, the chance to shine in one-on-one competition.
Look at a player like Wharton DB Vernon Hargreaves III who turned in a solid 2011 season with 49 tackles and two interceptions. Hargreaves was already poised to be one of the top recruits in 2013, but he skyrocketed onto national radars with his dominating performance at the 2012 Under Armour Combine where he turned in a 4.45 40-yard dash and a 34.50 inch vertical, both combine bests. The Wharton DB currently holds eight D-I offers.
While the Wildcats were a respectable 6-6 some very good players are on struggling teams. Leto RB Andre Simpson falls more specifically into that category. On a winless Falcons team Simpson put up more than 1000 yards of total offense and jumped from the BCP Smoke List to the Winter Fire 49 as 35th best player in Tampa Bay.
A stellar performance at the BCP Ignite Combine would boost Simpson’s stock even more because it is difficult for college coaches to visit a struggling program that haven’t historically put out a number of players.
The benefits of a combine are endless, especially for younger players.
Capshaw says that coaches are looking at players as young as freshman year, and sometimes even earlier. College coaches are even hosting youth camps to get in players’ ears earlier and earlier.
High school combines aren’t just a practice. Combines are an opportunity for young players to showcase their skills, their raw talent and abilities. With national recognition from some of the top websites and recruiting services he benefits of a combine can be exponential.
Follow Kyle on Twitter @KyleBennettUT