05-29-2006, 02:10 PM
Sunday, May 28, 2006
By Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
John Heller, Post-Gazette
University of Iowa tight end Lucas Cox was a star at Springdale High
School, but he concedes he is playing Big Ten Conference football
largely because of his performance at an offseason football camp.
The camp was the Metro Index camp, which was held annually at
University of Pittsburgh facilities on the South Side. There, he got
a chance to work out in front of numerous Division I coaches and
recruiters who probably hadn't heard of Springdale, much less know
where it is.
"Iowa wouldn't even know my name if it weren't for the Metro camp
and a couple others like it," Cox said. "But Iowa started to recruit
me because of this camp, and eventually they offered me a
scholarship. When you play for a small school, you need exposure.
"Camps provided players like me from small schools an opportunity to
compete with the big boys, and that's really how I was able to catch
their eyes."
Springdale competes in Class A in football, the smallest
classification of schools in Pennsylvania. Talented kids from small
schools are often overlooked as college coaches devote much of their
recruiting efforts to players from bigger schools, where the quality
of play is believed to be much higher.
Over the years, there have been many other stories such as Cox's:
Players discovered by Division I coaches at football camps such as
Metro Index or scouting combines like the ones run by Nike and
adidas.
The NCAA, however, has passed new rules that many believe will take
away opportunities for athletes such as Cox.
Beginning Aug. 1, Division I football coaches will be prohibited
from attending independent football camps and combines, and the
independents camps will no longer be able to use college facilities.
Many players pay to go to camps because they offer an opportunity to
perform in front of Division I coaches. With no coaches watching,
there is little reason to attend.
"The rules are crazy," Cox said. "These camps are about opportunity.
The people who will get hurt are the players like me. The big-name
guys, the big schools know all about them. It is guys like me that
these camps help the most."
The camps -- where players work to improve their skills -- and
combines -- where players are tested and evaluated -- might continue
to exist in some form. And they still can serve as part of the
recruiting process by gathering information on players and
disseminating it to college programs. But it is clear the new rules
will force camp directors and those companies who run combines to
rethink their structure.
Coaches' initiative
The NCAA is often criticized for passing arbitrary rules without
much explanation. In this case the organization, with the blessing
of the American Football Coaches Association, has given three
reasons it believes the rules were needed:
Preserving the quality of life for coaches. This is the top reason
given by the coaches association for its support of the new rules.
In general, the camps and combines are held on spring weekends,
which means coaches must sacrifice free time during the offseason
that could be spent with their families.
Maintaining control of the recruiting process. Amateur Athletic
Union coaches and major athletic apparel companies have become very
influential in the college basketball recruiting process. Football
coaches see things moving in a similar direction and don't like it.
More and more camps and combines are popping up that are
underwritten completely or sponsored by apparel companies and/or
Internet scouting services.
Fair competition. Penn State played host to an annual Nike camp, and
about 500 blue-chip prospects came to its campus for the one-day
event. Coaches of schools that don't have such sponsored events see
this as a recruiting advantage. In effect, it is an unofficial
campus visit for those prospects.
"Coaches only have so many months to be home on the weekends and
enjoy their families," said Grant Teaff, executive director of the
American Football Coaches Association. "We've said enough is enough.
There are so many of these camps now that coaches feel obligated to
try and get to every one of them in order to remain competitive. The
quality of life for our coaches is the primary concern. This is
America, if someone wants to host a combine that's their right and
we won't stop them. What we're saying is coaches won't be there."
Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt echoed the sentiments of Teaff and many of
the coaches who attended Metro Index in early May. He said coaches
can arrive at the same conclusions about players without wasting
time traveling to combines all over the country.
"This is the smartest thing the NCAA has ever done," Wannstedt
said. "We can't coach at these camps, we can't talk to the kids or
their families, so all we do is stand there and watch a bunch of
guys in shorts run over bags for two hours. There is no reason for
us to be there. We could get the same info without being there."
Camp competition
One other reason for the rule changes, which isn't offered by
coaches, is money.
Universities stage camps, too, and the instructors are the school's
coaching staff. These camps are big money-makers for football
programs and often mean bonuses for the coaches.
There is competition for campers between the independents and
universities.
Many of the combine-style camps such as Nike and adidas are free
while others, such as Metro Index, can cost a family anywhere from
$150-$1,000, depending on who is running it and its length.
Meanwhile, camps the schools run must charge according to NCAA
rules, which can be anywhere from $30 for a one-day clinic to $700
or more for a full week of overnight camp.
By prohibiting coaches from attending the independent combines and
camps, the NCAA has ensured that the only way players can be seen by
a Division I coaching staff at a football camp is to attend one run
by a Division I program.
"When we first started 26 years ago, this wasn't an issue because
there were so few camps like ours," said Joe Butler, who runs the
Metro Index camp. "Now parents are forced to make choices, and they
are looking to get the most bang for their bucks. At Metro, we've
had coaches from 100 different schools watching; at a team camp,
there is only one staff watching, and they can only offer 25
scholarships each year.
"The rules force kids to pick a few schools and hope to make a good
impression at their camps."
Cox's father, Bruce, said the proliferation of scouting combines
made for some difficult choices for parents, but at least he knew
that whatever camp his son attended, he would be seen by a lot of
coaches.
But with the new rules in place, Lucas would have had to make tough
choices about which school camps to attend because of the cost.
"If you are from Woodland Hills or Central Catholic, or you are a
big-name blue chipper, these camps aren't necessary because schools
know who you are and where to find you," Bruce Cox said. "But trying
to get exposure from a Class A school can be tricky. Lucas competed
against the best kids from the bigger schools at football camps and
showed what he could do. These camps put kids on an even playing
field."
End of independents
Although the rules don't outlaw camps -- Teaff was very clear on
this point -- Butler believes they will be a death blow to camps
such as his. The combines, such as adidas and Nike, will survive
mostly because it is information they provide -- the 40-yard dash
times, strength test results, etc. -- that coaches are really after
in the first place.
That's one reason Wannstedt, and many other coaches, disagree that
the new rules will change the recruiting process or deny athletes
such as Cox the chance to get seen.
"I think these camps are excellent," Wannstedt said. "I'm all for
kids attending them. Those unknown kids, those diamonds in the
rough, the small-school kids -- they will still be discovered
because we'd still get the information at the end of the camp. We'd
then invite them to our camp and take a much closer look at them."
Teaff added: "Coaches have made it clear that they want more than
anything, honest and accurate information on the players. So I think
these camps can still be a valuable tool in recruiting. We're just
taking some steps to ensure they don't become the only tool."
While it is clear the rise of the camps run by apparel companies and
scouting services have prompted the rules changes, it is unclear how
much influence those entities have on the recruit ing process.
While some players have been discovered at the combines, Wannstedt
said most of them aren't getting scholarship offers until they
attend a school-run camp. It's there that coaches interact with each
player, and that closer look helps them make a more educated
decision when it comes time to offer scholarships.
Still, Teaff said coaches are fearful that the recruiting process is
headed where college basketball is now: Summer camps and leagues,
AAU coaches and the apparel companies are too influential.
"What our coaches wanted to do was sort of nip the whole thing in
the bud, so to speak," Teaff said. "We wanted to be proactive on
this front. The direction it is going is not a good one. If it works
for basketball, who are we to say don't do it, but what we are
clearly saying is that we don't want football recruiting to become
dominated by scouting services, outside influences and other
corporations. We don't want that to become the norm in our sport."
Butler said he understands those fears but believes the rules are
too broad and hurt camps such as his, which are not just combines,
but skill improvement camps as well. Next year, he knows, his camp
will be a tough sell because there will be no Division I coaches
watching workouts.
Lucas Cox, like many other players, tends to agree.
"I'm not sure what will happen and I know the NCAA has its reasons
for passing rules," Cox said. "I just wish they'd have thought this
one through a little more because there are just too many success
stories from these camps to ignore."
By Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
John Heller, Post-Gazette
University of Iowa tight end Lucas Cox was a star at Springdale High
School, but he concedes he is playing Big Ten Conference football
largely because of his performance at an offseason football camp.
The camp was the Metro Index camp, which was held annually at
University of Pittsburgh facilities on the South Side. There, he got
a chance to work out in front of numerous Division I coaches and
recruiters who probably hadn't heard of Springdale, much less know
where it is.
"Iowa wouldn't even know my name if it weren't for the Metro camp
and a couple others like it," Cox said. "But Iowa started to recruit
me because of this camp, and eventually they offered me a
scholarship. When you play for a small school, you need exposure.
"Camps provided players like me from small schools an opportunity to
compete with the big boys, and that's really how I was able to catch
their eyes."
Springdale competes in Class A in football, the smallest
classification of schools in Pennsylvania. Talented kids from small
schools are often overlooked as college coaches devote much of their
recruiting efforts to players from bigger schools, where the quality
of play is believed to be much higher.
Over the years, there have been many other stories such as Cox's:
Players discovered by Division I coaches at football camps such as
Metro Index or scouting combines like the ones run by Nike and
adidas.
The NCAA, however, has passed new rules that many believe will take
away opportunities for athletes such as Cox.
Beginning Aug. 1, Division I football coaches will be prohibited
from attending independent football camps and combines, and the
independents camps will no longer be able to use college facilities.
Many players pay to go to camps because they offer an opportunity to
perform in front of Division I coaches. With no coaches watching,
there is little reason to attend.
"The rules are crazy," Cox said. "These camps are about opportunity.
The people who will get hurt are the players like me. The big-name
guys, the big schools know all about them. It is guys like me that
these camps help the most."
The camps -- where players work to improve their skills -- and
combines -- where players are tested and evaluated -- might continue
to exist in some form. And they still can serve as part of the
recruiting process by gathering information on players and
disseminating it to college programs. But it is clear the new rules
will force camp directors and those companies who run combines to
rethink their structure.
Coaches' initiative
The NCAA is often criticized for passing arbitrary rules without
much explanation. In this case the organization, with the blessing
of the American Football Coaches Association, has given three
reasons it believes the rules were needed:
Preserving the quality of life for coaches. This is the top reason
given by the coaches association for its support of the new rules.
In general, the camps and combines are held on spring weekends,
which means coaches must sacrifice free time during the offseason
that could be spent with their families.
Maintaining control of the recruiting process. Amateur Athletic
Union coaches and major athletic apparel companies have become very
influential in the college basketball recruiting process. Football
coaches see things moving in a similar direction and don't like it.
More and more camps and combines are popping up that are
underwritten completely or sponsored by apparel companies and/or
Internet scouting services.
Fair competition. Penn State played host to an annual Nike camp, and
about 500 blue-chip prospects came to its campus for the one-day
event. Coaches of schools that don't have such sponsored events see
this as a recruiting advantage. In effect, it is an unofficial
campus visit for those prospects.
"Coaches only have so many months to be home on the weekends and
enjoy their families," said Grant Teaff, executive director of the
American Football Coaches Association. "We've said enough is enough.
There are so many of these camps now that coaches feel obligated to
try and get to every one of them in order to remain competitive. The
quality of life for our coaches is the primary concern. This is
America, if someone wants to host a combine that's their right and
we won't stop them. What we're saying is coaches won't be there."
Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt echoed the sentiments of Teaff and many of
the coaches who attended Metro Index in early May. He said coaches
can arrive at the same conclusions about players without wasting
time traveling to combines all over the country.
"This is the smartest thing the NCAA has ever done," Wannstedt
said. "We can't coach at these camps, we can't talk to the kids or
their families, so all we do is stand there and watch a bunch of
guys in shorts run over bags for two hours. There is no reason for
us to be there. We could get the same info without being there."
Camp competition
One other reason for the rule changes, which isn't offered by
coaches, is money.
Universities stage camps, too, and the instructors are the school's
coaching staff. These camps are big money-makers for football
programs and often mean bonuses for the coaches.
There is competition for campers between the independents and
universities.
Many of the combine-style camps such as Nike and adidas are free
while others, such as Metro Index, can cost a family anywhere from
$150-$1,000, depending on who is running it and its length.
Meanwhile, camps the schools run must charge according to NCAA
rules, which can be anywhere from $30 for a one-day clinic to $700
or more for a full week of overnight camp.
By prohibiting coaches from attending the independent combines and
camps, the NCAA has ensured that the only way players can be seen by
a Division I coaching staff at a football camp is to attend one run
by a Division I program.
"When we first started 26 years ago, this wasn't an issue because
there were so few camps like ours," said Joe Butler, who runs the
Metro Index camp. "Now parents are forced to make choices, and they
are looking to get the most bang for their bucks. At Metro, we've
had coaches from 100 different schools watching; at a team camp,
there is only one staff watching, and they can only offer 25
scholarships each year.
"The rules force kids to pick a few schools and hope to make a good
impression at their camps."
Cox's father, Bruce, said the proliferation of scouting combines
made for some difficult choices for parents, but at least he knew
that whatever camp his son attended, he would be seen by a lot of
coaches.
But with the new rules in place, Lucas would have had to make tough
choices about which school camps to attend because of the cost.
"If you are from Woodland Hills or Central Catholic, or you are a
big-name blue chipper, these camps aren't necessary because schools
know who you are and where to find you," Bruce Cox said. "But trying
to get exposure from a Class A school can be tricky. Lucas competed
against the best kids from the bigger schools at football camps and
showed what he could do. These camps put kids on an even playing
field."
End of independents
Although the rules don't outlaw camps -- Teaff was very clear on
this point -- Butler believes they will be a death blow to camps
such as his. The combines, such as adidas and Nike, will survive
mostly because it is information they provide -- the 40-yard dash
times, strength test results, etc. -- that coaches are really after
in the first place.
That's one reason Wannstedt, and many other coaches, disagree that
the new rules will change the recruiting process or deny athletes
such as Cox the chance to get seen.
"I think these camps are excellent," Wannstedt said. "I'm all for
kids attending them. Those unknown kids, those diamonds in the
rough, the small-school kids -- they will still be discovered
because we'd still get the information at the end of the camp. We'd
then invite them to our camp and take a much closer look at them."
Teaff added: "Coaches have made it clear that they want more than
anything, honest and accurate information on the players. So I think
these camps can still be a valuable tool in recruiting. We're just
taking some steps to ensure they don't become the only tool."
While it is clear the rise of the camps run by apparel companies and
scouting services have prompted the rules changes, it is unclear how
much influence those entities have on the recruit ing process.
While some players have been discovered at the combines, Wannstedt
said most of them aren't getting scholarship offers until they
attend a school-run camp. It's there that coaches interact with each
player, and that closer look helps them make a more educated
decision when it comes time to offer scholarships.
Still, Teaff said coaches are fearful that the recruiting process is
headed where college basketball is now: Summer camps and leagues,
AAU coaches and the apparel companies are too influential.
"What our coaches wanted to do was sort of nip the whole thing in
the bud, so to speak," Teaff said. "We wanted to be proactive on
this front. The direction it is going is not a good one. If it works
for basketball, who are we to say don't do it, but what we are
clearly saying is that we don't want football recruiting to become
dominated by scouting services, outside influences and other
corporations. We don't want that to become the norm in our sport."
Butler said he understands those fears but believes the rules are
too broad and hurt camps such as his, which are not just combines,
but skill improvement camps as well. Next year, he knows, his camp
will be a tough sell because there will be no Division I coaches
watching workouts.
Lucas Cox, like many other players, tends to agree.
"I'm not sure what will happen and I know the NCAA has its reasons
for passing rules," Cox said. "I just wish they'd have thought this
one through a little more because there are just too many success
stories from these camps to ignore."