BUFORD — Buford football coach Jess Simpson has never been one to let a good opportunity slip away.
With the future of satellite camps under further review by the NCAA, Simpson decided to hold the first satellite camp in the area Monday at the Buford High football complex with the Southeast Satellite Camp.
More than a dozen colleges, including Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama, N.C. State, Wake Forest, and Tennessee, sent coaches to work with more than 200 athletes doing agility skills and position drills. Players attending represented 61 high schools, including 13 northeast Georgia area programs, with some from as far away as Mississippi and Florida.
“We don’t know if it’s going to be just a one-year thing or if it will be a different kind of format next year but we decided to have one and give the kids a chance to work with college coaches,” Simpson said. “We had 14 college staffs and the kids got to work with some great coaches. It also gives them some exposure with the schools.”
The NCAA is allowing colleges to take part in satellite camps outside of their sphere of influence for this season but has said it will look at the format, and future, of the camps moving forward.
The camp itself began with players taking "measurables" like height, weight, and 40-yard times. Then the group was paired off by position with eventually the quarterbacks and receivers working on passing drills. The offensive and defensive lineman went head-to-head on blocking and pass rush drills.
Judged by the turnout and the enthusiasm on display, the idea of satellite camps appears popular among the athletes looking to get some instruction -- and exposure -- regardless of which colleges show up.
“This was my third one and I just try to listen to the coaches and get better and I like going up against good competition,” said rising Gainesville junior quarterback Demarcus Irons, who moved over from Central Gwinnett during the offseason. “I learned a lot at this camp. It was a lot of fun. I also hope that some of the coaches got to see what I can do. Getting your name out there is big.”
North Hall freshman running back Cade Miller said he had some initial trepidations making the trek down from Gainesville.
“I got a little sick to my stomach thinking I’m about to get slaughtered or something,” Miller said. “But actually I thought it went pretty well. I had fun and I learned how to try and push myself to the next level and do better than I thought I could.
“I decided to do this camp because it was close. I felt like I got some good instruction from the college coaches. It was worth it to me.”
Flowery Branch junior quarterback Kory Graham said he looks to these kinds of camps to work on fundamentals and hopefully spark some attention.
“You can get good instruction from college coaches on the little things that you need help on,” Graham said. “I came to this camp because there are a lot of big schools here and it’s a way to get looked at.”
Rising Buford senior linebacker Jake Simpson said he felt it was a good way for area players not currently on the recruiting radar to show off some of their skills.
“This is a good way to get some eyes open and colleges to look at some of the guys,” Simpson said. “It’s always fun to come out and compete with guys that are the same caliber as you to see where you are. I think this is a good format and I think it’s good all around for people to benefit from.”
Coach Simpson said despite the fanfare of having more than a dozen Division I programs on hand, it’s the simple things that still matter for both players and coaches.
“We’re glad we had the turnout we did from the schools and the kids,” he said. “But at the end of the day it starts with measurables. Coaches want to know where a kid is at and what is legitimate as far as height, weight, and what’s real as far as times go. I don’t care where you go, coaches are always trying to figure out the truth about how long you are and how fast you can run. These kind of camps let them see that.”
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/6/410965/areas-first-satellite-camp-draws-plenty-of-attention-for-players-and-schools