For most high schoolers, summer involves pools, pigging out and partying.
For a high school athlete aiming to make it to the next level, the work doesn’t end when the season does.
One of the most crucial times in the recruiting season for players and universities alike takes place during the summer, when schools host camps and combines for prospective athletes.
“The camps are so important,” said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Mike Scarborough. “If a guy camps and spends time there in the summer, the likelihood of him being part of your signing class are about 90 percent more than if he doesn’t.”
College football sponsors like Under Armour and Nike host camps yearly to let athletes put their skills on display for college scouts.
But Derek Ponamsky, recruiting analyst and publisher of BayouBengalsInsider.com, said even more important than these popular camps are the sessions put on by schools across the country.
“There are certain things this coaching staff wants to do in terms of evaluating players.” Ponamsky said. “The biggest thing recruiting wise is always going to be the camps run by the coaching staffs at colleges. Those are the ones that are the best attended.”
Ponamsky said current LSU players like cornerbacks Tyrann Mathieu, Ronald Martin and Jalen Collins were lower profile recruits who earned their stripes during summer camps.
“If you’re a guy that’s kind of on the cusp, if you come in and perform well you’re going to get an offer,” he said.
Ponamsky also mentioned some names for Tiger fans to look out for this summer, including Central Catholic safety Lloyd Grogan and Bastrop defensive end Denzel Devall.
Grogan has received offers from Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas A&M. He said he expects offers from Georgia Tech and LSU — the two teams that top his list.
“I either want to go to LSU or Georgia Tech,” Grogan said. “I’m going to a camp in Atlanta at Georgia Tech, and I’m going to a camp at LSU.”
Grogan, who is being recruited by many schools as an outside linebacker, said he wants to continue playing safety at the next level, and hopes to prove his value in the secondary this summer.
“I really want to play safety,” he said. “LSU is talking about moving me to linebacker, so I’m looking forward to working hard at safety.”
LSU will host a Bayou Picnic at the end of May, giving recruits and their families a chance to get on campus and interact with the coaches and each other.
And while LSU will welcome numerous athletes from across the country, Ponamsky said the primary goal of the coaching staff this summer is to reel in all the in-state talent.
“LSU coaches go all over the world to recruit these guys, but the majority of these classes that LSU is signing are going to be Louisiana kids,” Ponamsky said. “The biggest push you’re going to see is Frank Wilson making sure there’s no stone unturned in the state of Louisiana.”
Scarborough said only three of LSU’s 23 signees from last year’s class did not attend the summer camp, and he stressed the importance of these workouts.
He added that LSU coach Les Miles and staff are piecing together yet another successful class and said the group has the potential to be one of the best classes in recent history.
“I think right now this class is looking much better than 2010 did,” Scarborough said. “It’s not as cool as ’11, but I think it’s a much better class one through 10 for sure than 2010 was.”
 
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]