Football Camps, Combines and Showcases: How to Choose the Right Events

The most expensive camp on your calendar is not automatically the most valuable.

An event helps when it solves a specific problem: development, verified testing, evaluation by a target staff or competition in front of relevant programs. Without that purpose, families can spend a summer collecting T-shirts instead of useful recruiting information.

Choose the reason first. Then choose the event.

Reviewed July 20, 2026. Verify recruiting rules through the NCAA recruiting resources and event details through the official host.

What to do next

Score the next event before registering. If it passes the fit test, RepMax athletes can add the camp, combine or visit to the recruiting calendar. Camps and combines can also include a registration link.

Public asset: Download the Event-Fit Checklist RepMax athletes: Add an Event to My Calendar

Football camp, combine or showcase?

Football camp

A camp usually includes instruction and position work. College prospect camps are hosted by a college and may allow that staff—and sometimes coaches from other programs—to evaluate athletes directly.

Best used for:

learning from a target staff;
receiving position instruction;
competing in front of coaches already familiar with the athlete;
helping a staff complete an evaluation.

Football combine

A combine generally focuses on measurements and athletic testing. Results may include height, weight, sprint times, agility, jumps and position work.

Best used for:

obtaining credible measurements;
establishing a testing baseline;
documenting improvement;
understanding how the athlete compares with relevant benchmarks.

Testing is only as useful as the method and source. Record whether a time was electronic or hand-timed and who verified it.

Football showcase

A showcase is built around exposure and evaluation, often with coaches or evaluators from multiple programs. Quality, attendance and access vary widely.

Best used for:

competing in front of multiple relevant programs;
expanding evaluation beyond one campus;
generating current skills footage or feedback where permitted.

The word "showcase" does not guarantee that the right coaches will attend or personally evaluate every athlete.

The event-fit test

Before paying, answer these questions:

What specific outcome do we want?
Which coaches or programs are expected to work the event?
Are those programs realistic academic and athletic fits?
Has the athlete contacted those coaches?
Is the athlete physically prepared to test or compete?
Will credible results or film be available?
What is the total cost, including travel and lodging?
What would make the event worthwhile even if no offer follows?

If the only answer is "exposure," keep researching.

Two families, two event choices

One family sees a national showcase ad and registers without checking which coaches will attend. The athlete performs well, but none of the programs on the school list is present and there is no useful follow-up.

Another family chooses a prospect camp hosted by a realistic target school. The athlete sends current film beforehand, arrives prepared and follows up with the position coach afterward. The camp still guarantees nothing—but it gives the family a clear purpose and a useful next step.

How to research an event

Use the official host page. Confirm the date, location, staff, grade restrictions, refund terms, equipment requirements and registration status.

For college camps, check the football program's official site and the institution's athletics directory. For third-party events, look for clear testing methods, named staff, historical event details and transparent policies.

Be cautious when marketing language promises national exposure, guaranteed coach attention or scholarship results.

What to do before the event

Update your materials

Make sure the athlete's profile includes current film, position, graduation year, academics, measurables and contact information.

Contact relevant coaches

Send a concise message stating that you are registered. Include the profile and film. Explain why the program fits your list.

Related resource: How to Email a College Football Coach

Prepare for the actual work

Train for the testing and position demands without trying to make dramatic last-minute changes. Confirm equipment, hydration, nutrition, travel time and check-in instructions.

Set process goals

Examples include:

execute position drills with consistent technique;
communicate well in the group;
obtain credible measurements;
introduce yourself to a target coach at an appropriate time;
learn one development priority from feedback.

What to do during the event

Arrive early. Listen. Compete. Respond to coaching. Move quickly between drills. Encourage other athletes without turning the day into a performance for attention.

Coaches can observe how an athlete handles correction, waiting, fatigue and mistakes—not only the best rep.

Parents should allow the athlete to communicate. Unless event staff requests otherwise, the sideline is not the place to negotiate recruiting status.

What to do after the event

Within a reasonable period, send a short thank-you and follow-up to coaches with whom the athlete had a meaningful interaction.

Include:

the event and date;
a reminder of who the athlete is;
one relevant result or point from the interaction;
the current profile link;
one clear question about the next evaluation step.

Enter accurate measurements in RepMax and retain the testing source and date in your records.

Then write down what the family learned. Did the event confirm the target level? Did a coach request film or grades? Does the development plan need to change?

When an event may not be worth it

Pause before registering if:

no relevant coaches or programs are identified;
the athlete has no current film or profile to send;
the event conflicts with health or recovery needs;
the family expects an offer simply for attending;
travel cost would prevent attending a more targeted event;
the athlete is not ready for the advertised testing;
event details remain vague.

Saying no to the wrong camp can protect time and money for the right one.

Put each event inside the recruiting plan

The RepMax Player Profile and QR code help athletes share current information before an event and keep testing results organized afterward. Retain each result's source and date in your records.

The profile is not the reason to attend. It is the place where the value of a good event—new evaluation, testing or film—can become part of the athlete's larger story.

CTA: Add an Event to My Calendar