Today was strictly busy work. All the camps are now completed and preparations for the season are starting and the next two recruiting classes are the focal point. Many players are already verbally committing for 2016 and coach Partridge and his staff are doing a great job building this program to become one of the top in Conference USA and in the nation. I would not be surprised if the program will in conversations with some of the other in Florida. The talent level in Florida is high and many colleges recruit here and for coach Partridge to have a solid foundation in South Florida is beyond helpful for the program. Most of the assignments today involved me organizing some papers and entering data into their program called JumpForward. This program is very interesting and it helps to keep the program organized and updated with high school student athletes around the country. It can organize anything from height, scouting reports, twitter or Instagram accounts, address and much more. The hard part sometimes with athletes is when they transfer schools because if they do not announce it or someone directly in the program knows of the transfer, some athletes can get lost in the “system”. Our office is also organizing everything that needs to be done along with the top recruits for 2017 and 2018 classes.
The final day of camps for high school athletes to come learn and also showcase their talents was today. I will be helping in a capacity today that is more of what I want my career to fall in which is player personnel and to view athletes. The best part is my input can make a difference and I have always enjoyed viewing athletes in person and being able to ask questions and also learn from the coaches as they put them through a variety of drills. There were more players from all over and today I met a family from San Antonio and from Nevada that planned their vacation around this event to help their son get exposure. I started out helping with shirts again and then I received my player assignment for the day from Graham who runs player personnel for the program. I was assigned to a few athletes that were all tight end. The hardest part I encountered was being able to judge if the athlete is capable of playing at this level which is a first for me because I have been used to judging the capabilities of an athlete who can play at the NFL or CFL level. I watched them very closely and also took into consideration the weather because it was another hot day but that also brings out the fight in athletes as well as a heart test. If a player has heart is the hardest characteristic to judge and critique. The main athlete I had to watch showed good characteristics and athletic ability but he did need to work on his ability to read a coverage, use his size to his advantage and how to create separation from his defenders. Upon the camp completing, I was able to talk with Graham about what I saw and I also began to get more information on my following assignments.
Today was a great start to continue my education on the collegiate level. FAU held their camp for players around the country to participate in. I assisted in the beginning with providing the participants with their shirts but the most interesting portion was listening to the coaches engage in conversation with these student athletes. Some were local others were from all parts of Florida and a few were down from Indianapolis. Upon completing my first assignment, I then took the field with the coaching staff and listened to the head coach (Mr. Partridge) make his speech to the athletes and motivate them for the day. I first worked with the 40 yard dash, then I went to work with the Offensive Line. I did have the choice to work with any position and I selected the offensive line for two reasons which was to work with a friend who is in the process of becoming a graduate assistant and to learn more about the position and what to teach. I believe it is one of the hardest position on the field and the most important for an offense to succeed. I finished off the day by playing quarterback while the offensive and defensive line were going one on one and I was the target. The offense did a better job than what I anticipate but there were not any athletes that jumped out to me that I believe were ready to compete at the next level. It was a very hot South Florida day and once the camp was completed, I had a meeting with the director of player personnel to game plan for the next day. Tomorrow is the final camp the program is holding and they anticipate around 120 to 130 athletes. Today they hosted 179 athletes.
|
AuthorMy day to day experience with FAU Football from my perspective by Feddy Azofeifa. Archives
November 2015
Categories |