A huge change for Nike Camps and more notes on football recruiting combines

For those who did not see recently in the news, Student Sports was purchased by ESPN.  The reason that ESPN purchased yet another company that follows prep athletics is because of their release in August of ESPN Rise.  And while this didn’t strike many as ground breaking news, this is very important in the eyes of high school athletes.

The reason why it is so important is that Student Sports runs the Nike Camp.  These outstanding free combines are held in a variety of locations throughout the country.  Previously, they had worked with Rivals.com regarding these camps.  What it means now is that ESPN now has a major camp that they may showcase on ESPN U and that Rivals.com is currently without their own camp.

The good news for prep athletes is that this is a great thing.  No matter what happens, there is a great chance that there will be more camps available throughout the country.  And since the Nike Camp and the Scout.com camps in the past have been free, it would be a surprise to see Rivals.com not offer a free camp as well.  I have always been a huge fan of the free camps for athletes and from the looks of it more will be available by next spring.

It also could mean that ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN U will do a lot more with prep athletics.  And while it probably will result in the top players around the country receiving more interest, it should help prep athletes get more recognition.  Camps like Nike and Elite 11 could be broadcast for prep fans and recruiting junkies throughout the country.

If you have the opportunity as a prep athlete next spring and the camps are close, there is no doubt that I would recommend making trips to the Nike Camp, the Rivals.com Camp (Whatever it may be), and the Scout.com Camp.  The more exposure you can get, the better it will be for you as a prospective recruit.

On another note, I recently emailed with someone who holds a rather large combine that brought in nearly 1,500 players last spring.  This person mentioned that he charged per person and it was able to make him a substantial amount of money over the long haul.  But what struck me was how he found prospective athletes because this is something that I always harp on.

These combines find any athlete that they possibly can who is willing to pay the entry fee.  When emailing with this person, he made me aware that he sent invitations to anyone listed as a junior on prep websites in the state that it was held.  It didn’t matter if you were the star or the water boy, you got a personalized invitation.

So when you receive the invite, just because the computer printed your name on the postcard, don’t really think that they need you at their camp.  If you have the time and money, feel free to go for it.  But I am not going to say how much it really will help you during the recruiting process.  Just keep that in mind before your parents send the check to register you.