Chris Wells attended the combine in Akron, and it was immediately apparent that he
was on a different level physically when he ripped off a 4.5 40 at 230 pounds on
field turf, which is generally considered a slow surface. But it wasn't just his
size and speed; he also showed fluid motion in his position drills to prove that
despite the size of many incoming defensive ends, he had the ability to be a
dominating running back.
It's not just the Chris Wellses of the world that benefit from attending a
Scout.com Combine; bubble Division I players have just as much to gain. Recent
NCAA legislation has severely limited college coaches' ability to evaluate
prospects in the spring. They can no longer attend combines in person, and in
fact have to jump through NCAA loopholes in order to test (height, weight, 40s,
vertical jump, etc.) at their own summer camps.
So what makes a Scout Combine important if college coaches can't attend?
Scout Combines are the only national combines in the entire country where the
full results from the event are made free to the public within 72 hours of the
event itself. Any college coach from Division I to Division III can get a
player's results, with nothing more than an Internet connection.
Testing aside, Scout.com Combines also focus on the learning aspect of the
day. Scout keeps its numbers small at each event, ensuring that each participant
gets ample one-on-one instruction from our coaches, as well as dozens of
repetitions in the one-on-one competitions.
During the drill portion of the events, players stand out and look forward to
competing. No longer is there a question about a player's level of competition
at his high school. No longer is there a question about their offensive system
and the opportunities it presents (how good is a receiver in a wing-t?). All of
the players are on a level playing field, and it's an opportunity to shine in
front of the very scouts who assign the player ratings.
Impress at a Scout.com Combine, and the whole world is going to know about
it.
A frequently asked question is, "How does a player qualify for a
Scout.com event?" There are two keys for any player who wants to be
recognized as a Division I football recruit: his video and his high school
coach. A player can register through his high school coach. Contact information
for all of the regional managers can be found at Scout. com (link).
High school coaches are the most proficient scouts in the country, and the
scouts of Scout.com rely heavily on their recommendations. A high school coach
with a good track record for promoting Division I prospects only has to make a
phone call to a member of Scout.com to register a player.
An overzealous coach can actually hurt the chances of a legit college
prospect by over-selling other players on his team. Two examples from personal
experience: One coach told me he had three college prospects and one that had a
chance. All four players attended a Scout Combine, and all four players ended up
playing football on the next level. Now all he has to do is tell me he wants a
player at an event, and we comply.
A second coach sent me his list of 18 college prospects, and I never asked
him for a recommendation again. With limited time and resources, scouts and
college coaches rely on credible information from the people who have the most
interaction with the players: their high school coaches.
Video is also an essential part of the scouting process. A typical scouting
video consists of two to three minutes of highlights, followed by a player's
best game. There's a saying I like to use: "A player will get recruited off
a highlight tape; he'll get a scholarship offer based on what he does in a full
game."
The Scout.com Combine Series runs from March through the end of May, and our
scouts have been working for months, collecting video and talking with coaches
to identify the next batch of tomorrow's superstars, who will attend this year's
Scout.com Combines beginning with our first event in Pittsburgh.