Football Camp and Combine Season: When and Where to Go and What to Do
Between camps, combines, showcases, and more, how are you supposed to know where to go and when? We’ve got your back. Whether you’re looking for skill development or recruiting exposure, this is your ultimate guide to football events.
First things first, when do football events occur? We know how quickly schedules can fill up for high school students, so let’s break it down!
Skill development football events have the most schedule flexibility.
Skills camps and specialist camps (designed for kickers, punters, quarterbacks, long snappers and lineman) are hosted year-round. Since there are no NCAA recruiting rules to worry about, you have the freedom to pick and choose when you want to devote your time to working on your football game.
Recruiting exposure events are only offered at certain times of the year.
Prospect camps and showcases are typically held between February and July. If college coaches are involved, the event will need to be held during an NCAA evaluation period (or quiet period, if held on the school’s campus). Showcases that are hosted by third-party companies – and designed to provide media exposure for athletes – can be hosted any time.
Combines are most popular between January and July, allowing you to get your verified stats and measurements right before or after football season. Tip: Include your new combine numbers with your upcoming football schedule and send them to college coaches at the beginning of your season!
Now that you know when to attend, which football event should you choose to go to?
Meet Coach Joe Leccesi, a football four-year starter and former offensive line coach at Saint Xavier University. We sat down with Coach Joe to ask, “What are the most important things athletes should keep in mind when choosing which football event to attend?”
Here are Coach Joe’s 4 tips to know before you go:
- Be realistic about your skills. Football prospect camps and showcases are opportunities to show off your talent to college coaches. But, if you’re not ready or you haven’t reached varsity level, they can do more harm than good. Consider attending a skills camp to develop your position-specific skills – then you can start thinking about putting them in front of coaches for evaluation.
- Do your research. Some football events require specific preparation. If you’re going to a combine to get your football stats, practice the 40-yard dash. If you’re going to a camp and doing 1-on-1’s, grab a teammate and practice. You see where we’re going with this – research, practice, prepare!
- College prospect camps are for recruits! Don’t go out of your way to attend a prospect camp at a single school unless you’re getting recruited by that program’s coach. Coaches will separate their top recruits from the rest of the pack right away. How do you know if you’re one of them? If the coach mentions in the invite email that he was impressed by your film or your profile, that’s a good sign! If not, try your luck at a college prospect showcase, or mega camp, where there will be multiple coaches and division levels.
- Get your combine numbers no more than 2x a year. Get tested at a combine at the beginning of your off season and if you feel like you’ve improved a lot, you can go back one more time. There’s really no need to go more than twice in a year.
Alongside these 4 tips – keep in mind that your skill level, year in school and how far along you are in the recruiting process will help you decide which football events to attend this off season. Want more information on football events? Check out NCSA’s guide to football events, including camps, combines, showcases and more to get answers to your top questions!
