“The scrimmage annually attracts over 50 coaches representing between 35 – 40 colleges and universities,” explains head football coach, Rick Marcella. “It is truly the highlight of our season. Our student-athletes represented themselves, their Academy, and our program as well as can be expected, and we had a great audience of coaches from every level of competition.”
“As a coach, it is awesome to see the players who you’ve watched work so hard and helped grow both academically and athletically earn praise from representatives of the colleges they are hoping to attend,” adds offensive line coach, Matt Gallery ’09.
Following the showcase, students were able to connect individually with the coaches in attendance to discuss opportunities and next steps.
“In my personal experience as a player, this day was what solidified my roster spot at Wesleyan University because the Wesleyan coach came to see me and I was able to impress him,” shares Jon Day ’11. Day, who is also a member of the coaching staff of this year’s squad, explains, “As an assistant coach [running backs], part of my role is to help our players understand what an amazing and rare opportunity the scrimmage is for their recruitment. While it does require weeks of practice in the cold of December, it is all worth it for our students when they get to perform in front of all of those coaches in one space. Year in and year out, this event creates opportunities for our football student-athletes, many times in the form of scholarship money that may not have been offered prior to the coach seeing the student compete in person.”
Congratulations on a successful Black & Gray Showcase, gentlemen!