PRZ Showcase – Coaches’ point of view
Today prepredzone.com held the Minnesota Showcase in Rosemount, Minnesota. With nearly 200 athletes signed up to attend two different sessions, we will have a ton of coverage over the next few days. To kick things off, I talked to a…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingToday prepredzone.com held the Minnesota Showcase in Rosemount, Minnesota. With nearly 200 athletes signed up to attend two different sessions, we will have a ton of coverage over the next few days. To kick things off, I talked to a few college coaches in attendance to take in the combine experience from their perspective.
What are you looking for at events like this?
Trey Dill – Defensive Coordinator University of Minnesota-Duluth
“I am looking to see some guys that don’t have a lot of film from the fall with the limited schedule and get a chance to see them move around, show some athleticism, and get a gauge on where these guys are at.”
Joe Troche – Secondary coach/Recruiting coordinator St. Olaf College
“It is always good to get a face-to-face with kids we have identified and see how they compete. That is one of the hardest things to measure. There are some intangibles we want to see. We also want to see if there is anyone we might have missed that we should be looking at.”
Pete Rohr – Wide receiver coach Hamline University
“The number one thing we are looking for is athleticism – what can they do on the field. I am mostly looking at the drill work. Everyone here is probably a good athlete, so we want to see how they do in their position – see how they can translate it. Once we get into one on ones, it is really just looking at their competitiveness – see how they compete.”
How is the evaluation different without pads?
Dill – “We are looking at how they move. How is there change of direction, their explosiveness? Just a general overview, and then we hopefully get them in some camp situations this summer. For the big guys, you want to see them move and see how athletic they are.”
Troche – “How competitive are they? How do they do in one-on-one matchups, and how do they respond after? We can see them get coached in person. How do they take coaching, and are they able to apply it? Those are things you can’t get from film.”
Rohr – “It is easy to isolate them here. It is easy to see the kid versus in a game. A lot of things can influence what you see – like scheme. Here, it is like, what can the kid do? That is the biggest thing versus game film.”
What advice would you give to a kid at an event like this?
Dill – “I would say to make sure you are in really good shape. Sometimes we notice these guys work so hard on the testing elements, but when they get into drill work, they are out of shape, they are tired, and their performance suffers. Make sure you are in shape. We want to see guys running faster as the summer progresses. We want to see improvement.”
Troche – “It depends on the kid. If it is someone we are looking at, I will give them a small tip and see if they apply it – without stepping on anyone’s toes. They probably do different things for their coaches, but just say, ‘you are working this technique, here is something that helps our guys out – try it out. Are they able to apply that?”
Rohr – “The number one thing is to come in ready to compete. Everyone in here is going to be similar athletically. Everyone in here is a good football player. The ones that stand out are their compete level. Make yourself stand out by competing.”