“EXPOSURE” is the key for any student-athlete in the recruiting process. Remember the student-athlete is competing with thousands of other prospective student-athletes for a scholarship and a spot on the roster of a college football program. In this day and age, recruiting services, college football programs, and athletic companies are sponsoring or conducting camps everywhere all the time. These entities know how important exposure is for the athlete so they are capitalizing on it.

Camps

Instructional camps give coaches a chance to evaluate a prospective student-athlete’s versatility, footwork, speed, leadership skills, and attitude. There is only so much a coach can evaluate from a highlight film.

Division-1A Program Camps

My best advice would be start Camping to going to instructional camps as soon as you can. Start out by going to the big football program camps. Usually the Div. 1A big programs will have instructional camps and will allow smaller programs and lower division football coaches to work in their camps.

The benefits of these camps are:

* This is an awesome way to get exposure from many different schools.
* These camps make money for the hosting football program but, it also allows the program to bring the prospective student-athletes on their campus and a chance to evaluate them in person.
* Attending these camps, the student-athlete is able to experience different competition than they are used to competing against.
* The athlete gets a chance to witness other players that maybe better than them and expose their weaknesses. This will show the athlete where they need to improve their skills.
* The athlete will meet other student-athletes. This is good because when the student-athlete reports to the football program’s summer camp of the school they have chosen, they may know some of the players from the camps they previously attended while they were in high school.

Other Types of Camps

Other camps would be, Nike Camps, UnderArmor, Adidas, and etc. These companies usually put on 7-7 camps that have a pretty big following. In my opinion, they’re limiting for a good evaluation of the prospective student-athlete. Depending on the type of offense a team runs, the quarterback, and the rules of the camp. But it is still good exposure.

Position Camp

There are also individual position camps. These camps are not as popular as the others mentioned, but they could be very good for the athlete’s development as a player. Lineman Camps, Quarterback camps, and Receiver Camps are the most popular. These camps can be very valuable. Make sure the coach or trainers are reputable and know what they are talking about when it comes to these camps. As I mentioned before, putting on athletic camps can be very lucrative. This means, the quality of the product they offer may not be very good. Do Research!

7 on 7 Camps

The 7 on 7 camps are usually team camps. These camps can be good for skill and confidence. These camps will also inform the athlete of their level of skill compared to local, regional, and national competition. This can be very good for your recruiting process. I will say it again, exposure is good for recruitment.

Kicking Camps

I must also mention kicking camps. There are some good kicking camps that are offered. A kicker must work extra to acquire the exposure needed. Usually kickers are the last priority for recruiting. With that said, they are still very important to any football program. A kicker must be able to show all skills (kick off, Punting, and Field Goal). Football programs want a solid and consistent kicker. CONSISTENCY is HUGE!

Some camps are not expensive and then again some are. Do some research before spending money on the camp. The camps offered by colleges or universities are usually not that expensive. These camps are one or two days. Position or Team will be more expensive. They can last from one day to a week.

Side Note: A student-athlete should understand Camping every coach has their own opinion about correct techniques, offensive and defensive philosophies, etc. It’s like weight lifting and nutrition. Everyone has their own opinion on what works best. The student-athlete may encounter different techniques being taught at different camps they attend.