As the school year comes to a close, planning your summer camp schedule should be a main priority. There's no doubt that college camps, showcases, and combine style events play a significant role in a prospect's recruiting process. Also, with so many different options out there, it's hard to decide which camps to actually register for.
Why are these events so important? Most colleges will NOT offer scholarships to prospects without seeing them perform live first. Camps provide this opportunity. So, check out our guide to be sure you're doing everything you can to have a successful camp season!
Make a calendar
The first step in the camp planning process is to understand what dates you have available. For 2022, colleges will hold their prospect camps in the months of June and July. These events may fall on a weekday or on the weekend. They often only last 1 day. It's best to target specific days that won't conflict with other commitments like high school practices, club tournaments, or other family obligations.
Use The College Search Tool to find camp dates and registration pages for every college in the country.
Understand your location and budget
Signing up for a one-day camp isn't too expensive. Most of these range between $40-$60. However, signing up for several of these can add up. Also, take in consideration other expenses like gas, food, and potentially hotels. If you're traveling far from home, it may make sense to schedule a week of one-day camps at different colleges that are close in proximity. That way you can stay at a hotel and don't have to travel all the way back home.
For example, say you are a prospect and you live in the Chicago area. Here is a sample week that you could schedule so you're not having to drive back to Chicago every single night!
Monday: Leave Home -> Western Illinois one-day camp -> Stay at hotel
Tuesday: Illinois State one-day camp -> Stay at hotel
Wednesday: Eastern Illinois one-day camp -> Stay at hotel
Thursday: Northern Illinois one-day camp -> Travel Home
In this example, you've hit a total of 4 camps in a week span by simple planning. Use The College Search Tool to search for camps by state and find dates to help with planning.
Be realistic in the camps you target
If you get a letter or an email from a Power 5 school inviting you to their summer camp, it may just be a generic invite or a money grabber. Make sure you have legitimate conversations with the coaching staff before signing up for a camp. College coaches should have a general understanding of who you are prior to the camp so they can watch you perform.
Also, only go to camps at colleges where you truly have an interest in attending after high school. Does the school check off all your boxes in terms of academics, size, location to home, etc.? Camps also give you an opportunity to step foot on the campus you may potentially be spending the next 4 years of your college career.
Prepare for the camp
Try to gain a general understanding of the types of drills you may be asked to perform at the camp. Will there be testing? Ask the coaches that invited you what would be the best items to work on and what the camp consists of. Take a few weeks prior to practice these drills and make sure you're fully ready to perform your best and compete with the other athletes! Here's a list of some basic football camp drills and tests that you may be asked to perform:
40 Yard Dash
5-10-5 Shuttle (Pro Agility)
Broad Jump
Vertical Jump
Position specific drills
1 on 1 competitions
Also, be prepared for the camp to gather height and weight measurements from each athlete.
Other types of camps
Besides one-day prospect camps at college campuses, there are 2 other types of camps: showcase style camps and combine camps.
Combines will give you verified stats, numbers, and measurements to provide college coaches with. Lots of times college coaches won't be in attendance at these events
Showcases are often invite-only events which help you gain national exposure and receive rankings and star-ratings on recruiting websites like Rivals.com.
Summary
Camps are the best way for college coaches to evaluate recruits outside of watching highlights and game film. These are very important and relied heavily upon in the recruiting process. Not all events are created the same, so the prospect must take very careful consideration in deciding what camps they want to attend.
If you need help with this process, don't hesitate to contact us.