College Football Recruiting: The Top Camps, Combines and 7-on-7 Showcases

An industry in itself, the camps and combine circuit is a majorly huge part of the college football recruiting industry and allows talent evaluators like myself to see prospects display their skills and talents in the off-season.

Players flock to these events in droves, hoping to either make a name for themselves in the recruiting world or prove as to why they are so highly touted.

The number of various camps, combines and other showcase events grows every year, yet there seems to be a couple that have stood out over the years and are now must sees for evaluators or must attends for recruits. These events are not only designed to give players a chance to showcase themselves, but also for players to receive good coaching and improve their craft.

Either If you are a high school football player dreaming of playing at the next level or just fan of college football recruiting, I suggest you get out and attend the following events.

7. New Orleans Under Armour Combine

Take a well put together event, by a big name in football and combine it with a talent hotbed area and you get an outstanding event. The New Orleans Under Armour combine is one of the premier showcases for high school players, especially in the talent rich states of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.

The athletes that attend the event are flat out studs and you get to see and evaluate some of the best future players going into the SEC. Last year, LSU 2011 recruit Odell Beckham was the stand out at the event among a host of others.

The event will be held again at the New Orleans Saints practice facility and figure to host some of the top player sin the Gulf Coast region for the 2012 crop.

6. Houston Under Amour Combine

Under Armour strikes again here, as I really like how they run their combine event. Its a two-day affair, so its more of a weekend. The first day is to setup the second day, as players are first introduced to the Under Armour coaches, ran through a couple drills and shown what is expected of them for the following day.

Therefore on the second day, things are ran like clock work. Players a ran through a battery of physical tests such as 40 yard dash, L-Cone, short shuttle, broad jump, vertical jump and a 300-yard gasser.

Then comes positional drills, followed by one on ones and then a full 7on7 session. Linemen go one on one and also are put through a linemen's challenge. The Houston event is a great draw as Texas football is one of the big three hotbeds in recruiting.

If you are a player and want to compete against the best, this is big time event to attend. 

5. Los Angeles Nike Football Training Camp

This is one of the premier events on the camps and combines circuit bar none, and not because your's truly was once invited as a high schooler himself, but because of the hype and alumni of the camp.

NIKE does a terrific job in getting some of the best speed trainers and football coaches in all of football to come out and instruct some of the West coast's and the nation's best high school football players.

Past participants include Tyron Smith, Matt Barkley, Mark Sanchez (who has been back to the camp as a QB coach in recent years), Ronald Powell, Josh Shaw and Akeem Ayers among a plethora of NFL and college football stars.

The camp is invite-only, so you know the players on hand are Division-I type players, all competing against one another and receiving great coaching. Its truly a must see.

4. Champion Gridiron Kings Elite Skills Competition

This is a relatively new event as it has just come on storng in the past few years. Held in Orlando annually in the early summer, the event features a 7on7 competition that is consisted of regional teams from around the country of the top skill players in various regions.

So far, and not surprisingly, the Southeastern regional squad has dominated the competition. Whether it be just having more talent at the skill position, home field advantage or a good assembling of personnel, the Southeastern team is the team to beat in this event.

The top QBs, WRs, RBs, LBs and DBs are all invited by Champion to Orlando and allowed to represent their region in a national showcase skill position talent and be coached by the best position coaches in football. If you play any of the before mentioned positions, this is an event you have to attend.

3. Miami Nike Football Training Camp

There's something to be said about the Miami and more so Sunshine State players: they are not afraid to compete and they love football very passionately. This is a must see event for everyone in college football recruiting.

Players show up to this event in droves and sometimes the camp is so full that players are turned away at the gate. This is an event that features studs of the year's recruiting class year after year, as the South Florida area is one of the premier stops for college coaches on the recruiting trail.

NIKE invites players to any NFTC of their choice, and some players skip their own local NFTC just to come and compete at the Miami NFTC. I'm not even going to try to name the alumni of this camp, but chances are if you watch an NFL game, there's likely two or three players in that game alone that went to the Miami NFTC as a high school player.

2. NIKE 7ON Showcase at Nike Headquaters in Beaverton, Oregon

7on7 has gone form just a practice period for teams, to local throwing sessions against other schools, to regional tournaments and not there is the NIKE 7ON Showcase.

This event is very well ran, very well put together and NIKE does a great job of identifying top programs around the country, inviting them up to NIKE headquarters and competing against other elite programs. They take the top high school teams, fly them to Beaverton, Oregon, host them at the NIKE headquarters and let it rip for a few days in a 7on7 showcase until a winner emerges.

You have a rifle armed QB? A couple speedy receivers? Some defensive backs that can cover well? You need to get your squad on up to Beaverton then in the summer.

1. Elite-11 Quarterback Camp

I have this No.1 and it should be by far. This is the most famous off-season camp to attend for high school quarterbacks and college quarterbacks. If you think you're one the very most elite (no pun intended) high school signal callers in America, you do everything in your power to get invited to this camp.

It has a ridiculous amount of alumni that consists of Heisman Trophy winners and first round draft picks and a who's who among current star college quarterbacks. The Elite-11 QB camp is so prestigious, it is an honor for underclassmen high school signal callers just to be invited as ball boys. Seriously.

The top 11-12 QBs in the country go through a rigorous evaluation process by a panel of experts, then are extended invitations. Remember on Willy Wonka when the people were all in awe of getting the golden ticket? Yeah, that's kind of how an Elite-11 invite is viewed in football recruiting.

After being selected and invited, the QBs come to California and are tutored by some of the very best QB gurus and college quarterbacks in football. As the week rolls along, the QBs go through various on field drills, chalk talks, play break downs, film sessions and skills competition.

If you're a somebody among high school QB recruits, this is a no-brainer camp to attend. But you have to be invited first.