The last year has been tough on high school football players hoping for exposure to possibly play football in college. The NCAA-mandated dead period put a long pause on normal recruiting. Prospects were left scrambling to get their skills in front of college coaches. That’s why last July the Warren Academy in Omaha hosted the Warren Academy Showcase. That event was set up to get kids good instruction and tape to share with colleges.
Now the dead period set to expire at the end of May. Steve Warren and his academy have adjusted the plans for the summer.
“Yeah, we definitely had to adjust. I try not to compete with those college camps because you can’t, first of all,” Warren told Hail Varsity. “The kids need to be going to them, so our big thing is getting them ready for camp. That’s usually what we’ve done years in years past. Last year was a little different with them not having anything, we needed to do something to get them exposure.
“But now they are back to getting that college exposure. Now we’re looking at doing something that’s really a little bit more unique than just the camp or combine that the kids would really enjoy doing and making it more of an event.”
Warren does have some plans that he is finalizing. A different type of competition event could hit in July. That way the guys can have some fun and compete after a busy camp season. He knows that everyone involved is excited for the return of camp season. He’s talked to college coaches a lot lately about the kids that he trains.
The players are also excited. They are eager to show colleges what they have been up to trying to improve their games. Now a lot of kids are trying to figure out where they’re going to camp. There are so many options out there for them right now. Everyone wants to go to a college hosted camp like Nebraska’s Friday Night Lights but there are several other options to be seen by college coaches. Players also have to figure out how many camps to attend this summer.
While that’s happening, the Warren Academy is getting the players ready for a month that could pay off in the long run for them in a big way. There are several things that get worked on leading up to attending a camp at their best.
“We really make sure we’re doing the drills so that they’re used to doing them in that setting,” Warren said. “That’s the biggest thing.
“Also it’s making sure kids are training with other kids like them. When you’re in your high school setting, you’re one of two or three dudes, right? But when you get around our setting, you’re just another dude because we’ve got 50 or 60 dudes standing around, right? So that’s the biggest thing is getting them used to that competition level. They have to raise their competition levels.”
There are other basic things to work on like 40-yard dash starts to make sure kids can run their best. In a lot of ways Warren and his staff are working on kids’ confidence. They help build them up so that they know that they’re able. After such a long time away a lot kids are nervous about making a good impression.
It’s going to be a big summer for many area prospects hoping to burst on the scene. It will be fun to see who lands new scholarship offers over the next month.
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
