10 Most Important College Football Recruiting Camps to Keep Your Eye on in 2015

The spring and summer camp circuit is set to get underway, with many standouts in the 2016 class eager to prove themselves by showcasing their talents against their peers.

Starting with this weekend’s Adidas Georgia Showcase all the way through the The Opening in July, there will be a handful of camps throughout the country that will host a bevy of top talent. 

The camp circuit gives some recruits a chance to validate their rankings and gives others the opportunity to build their case and attract the attention of colleges at the same time.

Which camps should recruiting fans be paying close attention to over the next few months?

Adidas Georgia Showcase

Date: Feb. 15

Location: McEachern High School, Powder Springs, Georgia

The first camp to keep an eye on will be held in the metro Atlanta area at local powerhouse McEachern High School.

A pair of McEachern standouts—2016 5-star defensive tackle Julian Rochester and 2017 4-star quarterback Bailey Hockman—are slated to work out on their home field.

Other notable attendees scheduled to participate are 2016 5-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown, 2016 4-star corner Trayvon Mullen and 2017 4-star corner Deangelo Gibbs.

The camp should feature the top talent from Atlanta and the Peach State in the 2016 and 2017 classes.

Florida Pylon 7-on-7

Dates: Feb. 14-15

Location: Cocoa Beach High School, Cocoa Beach, Florida

Another highlight to spring football activities are the seven-on-seven tournaments that take place throughout the country. 

One of the first camps to get things started for the 2016 class is the Florida Pylon seven-on-seven tournament this weekend.

The camp takes place in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and should have a number of top prospects from the Sunshine State on hand.

Saturday will feature pool play between various seven-on-seven teams with Sunday bringing the event to a close with a single-elimination tournament, per Pylon Football’s official site.

VTO Sports Elite 100

Date: Various

Location: Various 

VTO Sports will hold regional combines over the next few weeks that focus on testing in drills such as the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump and the L-drill.

The top performers from those events will then be invited to the Elite 100 camps held in various locations ranging from Texas to New Jersey.

Those events are likely to feature players who will emerge on the recruiting scene in the summer and fall.

The first Elite 100 camp is slated to be on March 7 in Birmingham, Alabama.

NUC Sports Camps

Dates: Feb. 15–June 14

Location: Various 

NUC Sports will have camps all over the country beginning this weekend and will run consistently through the middle of June. 

The events feature seven-on-seven tournaments and a linemen challenge at each event.

Another plus with NUC events is that they have sessions for players who are in youth leagues.

Given that they hit areas that don’t traditionally host a ton of showcase camps, their events give recruits scattered throughout the country a chance to get noticed.

Nike Football Opening Regionals

Dates: Feb. 28–June 14

Location: Various

One of the more popular events on the camp circuit is the Nike Football Opening Regionals.

According to Student Sports, the first camp will be held in Miami on Feb. 28. 

There will be 12 additional events held in metro cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. 

Top talents flock to these events, mainly because invites to The Opening (more on that later) are up for grabs at each regional camp.

Adidas Chicago Showcase

Date: March 28

Location: Max McCook Athletic & Exposition, Chicago

One of the premier events in the Midwest will take place in Chicago next month at the Adidas Chicago Showcase powered by EFT Sports Performance.

Elite talents from the Windy City will likely be on hand.

Additionally, players from other Midwest talent hubs such as Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota are scheduled to be at the camp.

Former Notre Dame linebacker Kerry Neal will serve as one of the lead coaches who will be working with the campers in attendance.

Sound Mind, Sound Body

Dates/Locations: June 11-12, Wayne State University, Detroit; June 26-27, Wilson High School, Washington D.C.

Sound Mind, Sound Body is one of the more interesting camp experiences in the country.

For starters, college coaches are allowed to attend and have been a critical part of the camp’s success.

Last year’s event had notables such as Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio and Penn State’s James Franklin on hand.

For the first time, this year’s event will be split into two separate camps, with the first one being in Detroit and the second one coming in Washington D.C.

Rivals Five-Star Challenge

Date: TBD

Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore

The Rivals Five-Star Challenge bills itself as “the premier high school football camp in America.”

The invite-only camp is a three-day event that features elite recruits competing against one another on the home field of the Baltimore Ravens.

Last year’s event featured such notables as 5-star defensive end Byron Cowart, 5-star corner Iman Marshall and 5-star quarterback Josh Rosen.

Whichever recruits separate themselves during the camp circuit can position themselves to land a coveted invite to this year’s camp.

The Opening

Date: TBD

Location: Nike Headquarters, Beaverton, Oregon

The best players who emerge from the Nike Football Opening Regionals will earn an invite to The Opening.

The Opening is held at Nike’s picturesque headquarters in Oregon. 

The camp is a four-day event that features a seven-on-seven tournament consisting of the nation’s top prospects, the Nike Elite Linemen Challenge and the Nike Football Rating National Championship competition.

With 150 prospects earning invites, the depth and quality of the competition separate The Opening as one of the most coveted invites for rising recruits.

Elite 11

Date: TBD

Location: Nike Headquarters, Beaverton, Oregon

One of the summer's signature events is the Elite 11 quarterback camp.

With notable alums such as Andrew Luck, Matthew Stafford, Tim Tebow and Jameis Winston, the camp has risen to prominence as a unique sports fraternity.

Led by former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer, the camp will work with the nation's top prep passers in an effort to whittle them down to a final group of 11. 

Past MVPs of the camp include Winston, 2015 Alabama signee Blake Barnett and current UCLA quarterback Asiantii Woulard. 

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports. 

Follow @SanjayKirpalani