One of the most difficult decisions for prospective college football recruits and their families this time of the year is figuring out where your money is best spent regarding summer football camps. Some choose to focus on college camps while others will spend time traveling the country going to different combines.
The most important thing to gauge as a recruit is to figure out which schools are really recruiting you. Colleges send out thousands upon thousands of invites to athletes in order to keep the numbers strong at these camps. The letters, emails (or even Facebook) invites mean very little. If you are seriously on the radar of a college coach, they will call you during the current spring evaluation period. This shows that they have ten minutes to speak with you and will be selling their school. Calls are a great sign at this point in the recruiting process.
If a college coach stops by your school and hands you camp information, it is a little harder to figure out. Determine how many other athletes at your school they are seeing and giving the same information to. Most athletes want an opportunity to go to Colorado or Colorado State to play football but very few get that opportunity. One advantage of going to these larger school camps is that college coaches from nearly all levels will be working the event as well. They use this as a recruiting tool in order to see what players they will be seeking later on in the recruiting process.
If you are not on their radar and don’t feel the need to go to the bigger camps, look into schools like Northern Colorado or a variety of Division II programs throughout the state. These schools all can offer scholarships, so impressing them during the summer months certainly would help when things get stressful next January and February.
As for the combines, save your money for events where college coaches at all levels can be in attendance. Coaches want an opportunity to time you themselves, and see what you can do. Taking times off of a piece of paper is going to do little to boast your overall recruiting stock.
Quick Hitters.
• Ralston Valley offensive lineman Dan Skipper is enjoying the recruiting process and will be taking his time before coming up with a final decision. “I’ll be taking visits early this summer and then decide from there. I will narrow it down quite a bit by then.” Added Skipper, “If I don’t have a decision, then I’ll take my officials.”
• Mullen linebacker Patrick Healy has used the last two years on the prep football field to prove he is a scholarship athlete. Air Force stepped up with the first offer for this talented defender. “Coach Morgan actually came to my school on Friday. We sat down and that is when he told me they wanted to offer me a scholarship. They had sat down with the coaching staff and liked my film.” Healy’s older brother, Connor, is part of the Falcons’ football program.
• ThunderRidge guard Joe Marucci hopes that he can use summer basketball to help aid in his recruiting. “Our coach says he is working pretty hard on it and this summer will be big.” Marucci said. “West Point did call me earlier in the year.”
• Frederick linebacker Ryan Miller is sorting through college attention from a few different programs. “I have been hearing a lot from Nebraska Wesleyan, Sioux Falls, and some of the Ivy League schools as well,” he said.
Christian James is the publisher of . His column appears regularly on denverpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: .
