High School Football Virtual Recruiting, “Speed Dating”

Story by Jordan Spurgeon

Navigating the era of COVID-19 is a challenging task for high school football coaches who are trying to connect their players with college recruiters in order to advance their education and playing careers.

The founder of the Minority Football Coaches Network, Jim Camarillo, subdued this barrier by hosting a virtual Recruiting Blitz on Zoom from August 19-20.

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HCs from all over Arizona will present nearly 100 players to 40 Colleges across the U.S. Proud of the coaches who are actively participating in their players recruiting process.
MFCN continues to produce opportunities for ALL coaches.

COLLEGE COACHES WANT IN: DM FOR ZOOM LINK pic.twitter.com/E2dJCYdt4C

— MFCNetwork (@MFCNetwork_) August 19, 2020

This event allowed coaches from more than 25 Arizona high schools to talk about their players in front of over 40 college coaches and recruiters from different levels around the country. Each coach had 15 minutes to discuss their players by showing their grades, physical measurables, playing status, on-field roles, and some even showed film.

Camarillo compared it to “Speed dating.”

The idea for a recruiting blitz hosted by the MFCN, which is the only high school football coaches association in Arizona, sprouted in December and was supposed to take place in-person in May. But then shutdowns happened and Camarillo needed to adapt.

“The idea just came as a need,” Camarillo said. “Our kids didn’t get a spring evaluation period since high school football in Arizona didn’t have a spring season, so I wanted to find a way to make it happen.”

The MFCN has hosted more than 55 Zoom meetings and workshops for coaches to meet and connect in 2020. That made the transition to a virtual recruiting event easy for Camarillo to execute.

“No one else has done this across the country,” Camarillo said. “So by us doing this, we felt that it opened the door for small colleges to connect with Arizona schools and uncover information on guys that aren’t the four-star and five-star guys.”

Marana head coach Louie Ramirez was able to showcase 11 players at the event. A few of his players have since heard from college recruiters that attended the event.

“Not only is it good for our high school coaches, but it gives our kids an opportunity to bring their education and football experience to a higher level,” Ramirez said. “That’s what Jim is all about and I’m happy that he cares so much about all of us.”

One player from Marana who has since received offers from Millikin University and Concordia University, Morehead, is senior Kai Spencer.

 

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After talking with @CoachWes3 I am happy to announce that I have received an offer from Millikin University. @CoachRamirez_ @MaranaFB @MU_BigBlueFB pic.twitter.com/20f2Y6QYWa

— Kainoa (@SpencerKainoa) August 21, 2020

 

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I am blessed to have talked with @KCBakk31 and received an offer from @Cobber_Football @MaranaFB @CoachRamirez_ pic.twitter.com/8Lnw6Ya2zI

— Kainoa (@SpencerKainoa) August 26, 2020

 

“It was amazing that an event like this was held by coaches in Arizona,” Kainoa said. “Coach Ramirez especially does a great job of sending highlights to recruiters and this event was no different from what I can gather.”

Recruiters saw this as an opportunity to learn more about players already on their radar and to learn about others who are rising.

University of Washington OL recruiter and scouting assistant, Chris Wright, enjoyed having the opportunity to see the measurables of players he was interested in and hear about their personalities from their head coaches. He knows Arizona is a hot spot for talent.

“We try to keep as up to date as possible on guys who could come compete for us, but it was great to gain some new insights from the coaches on the different quirks that a player may have,” Wright said. “They are the ones that see them the most and their opinions matter the most.”

The format of the event was simple. There were templates for high school coaches to fill out information on their players, and college recruiters left their contact information after listening to coaches. The process was cleared by the NCAA beforehand, according to Camarillo.

At Saguaro high school, where Camarillo is the defensive coordinator, there are many players who often need spring recruiting sessions in order to showcase their skills on tape because there is a depth of talent on the team.

“This event helped place some talented players on the map that maybe didn’t get much playing time last year because of seniors playing ahead of them that were big time Division I recruits,” Camarillo said.

Hamilton head coach Michael Zdebski understands that recruiting events are paramount. When he was the coach at Walled Lake Western high school in Michigan, he hosted numerous events with dozens of high school coaches and recruiters.

“The virtual world of recruiting seems to be just as effective as in-person events,” Zdebski said. “This is a great platform for D2 and D3 schools to find the right kids from Arizona for their programs.”

Zdebski was surprised that more coaches didn’t take advantage of the opportunity, but hopes they will if this event happens again.

Camarillo hasn’t set a date for a sequel Recruiting Blitz, but does plan to host one sometime in December.

Saguaro head coach Jason Mohns appreciates everything that Camarillo has done to build the MFCN, continuing its growth and positive impact on Arizona high school football during the uncertain times in 2020.

“He’s doing it because he cares and he wants to always improve opportunities for student-athletes in Arizona,” Mohns said. “I know he will continue to raise the stakes of these events because he always wants to do more, and he does so for the right reasons.”