Press Releases
National Athletic Combine Aims to Revolutionize High School Player Evaluation
New Service Matches Top College Football Programs With Nation’s Prep Players,
All At No Cost to the Athletes
When evaluating a football player, it’s hard to balance the need for a seasoned scout with the need for the latest evaluation tools. Similarly, scouts must weigh the athlete’s physical prowess against his leadership skills and the decisions he will make on and off the field.
However, with the introduction of National Athletic Combine (NAC) to the high school football landscape, there’s no need to choose.
National Athletic Combine offers licensees the ability to measure, accurately and objectively, the present ability and future performance of high school athletes with nothing more than a set of proprietary tools and a methodology developed by the same minds who helped shape the NFL’s combine held for more than 300 players annually in Indianapolis.
The brainchild of men with almost 200 years in the high school, college and pro football world, National Athletic Combine was developed in 2008 to bring the nation’s top high school players to the nation’s leading colleges and junior colleges — all without costing players a cent.
Consider the lineup. National Athletic Combine’s staff includes:
Jim Hess: His 46 years in the game have included coaching at nearly every level as well as scouting for 12 years for the Dallas Cowboys; he is credited with discovering Cowboys QB Tony Romo. He has won a Texas state championship at Rockwall High School and a Division II national championship at Angelo State University.
John Paul Young: His 42 years in football include terms with SMU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech along with 20 years in pro football with Houston, New Orleans, Kansas City and Denver; he also served as a scout for the Chicago Bears. Young was also one of the inspirations for the annual combine held by the NFL in Indianapolis.
Carl Mauck: Spent 13 years as an NFL player and 21 years as an NFL coach, playing and coaching in a total of 621 games over a career that started four decades ago. He played under coaching legends Don Shula, Sid Gillman and Bum Phillips and coached with seven NFL teams.
Jim Phillips: Currently the head coach and director of athletics at Greenville (Texas) High School, Phillips is considered a ‘Mr. Fixit’ in coaching circles for his ability to build strong programs. He also has a son who plays for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens and another who stars at the University of North Texas.
“We think we can bring the same standard of objective analysis to the high school athlete that pro prospects enjoy,” Young said.
While NAC’s ‘coaches office’ is well-stocked with experience and accolades, the ‘equipment room’ is none too shabby, either.
Director of Technology John Owen has integrated a diverse set of industry-leading software applications into one comprehensive palette designed exclusively to distill an athlete’s talents into an easily sortable and verifiable package. National Athletic Combine brings together Dartfish, the industry leader in the transmission and analysis of digital film; Fusion Sport, the global leader in athlete testing, coaching and talent identification testing; and a robust data solution that empowers customers to maximize productivity, efficiency, and cost savings.
Of course, there’s also a competition component to the combines. As licensees spread across the nation, student-athletes’ performances will be compared to others in their age bracket around the country. Participants will compete for a chance to advance from local combines to regional ones, then on to state and national competitions.
So how does it work?
Local players are invited to register for a nearby National Athletic Combine. Upon arrival, they are outfitted in NAC gear identifying them by position and assigned a number. They then are sent through a set of stations, including 40-yard dash, 3-cone drill, bench press, short and long shuttles, vertical and broad jump, which measure their speed and strength, dexterity and balance, and explosiveness. Everything is filmed, including post-workout interview sessions. Along the way, athletes also receive leadership training and analysis that provides a character element to the proceedings. This portion of the program is conducted under the supervision of international business coach Mike Jay, developer of Leadership University.
The program promises to be the most innovative and comprehensive service aiming to match student-athletes with colleges, while also being the most inclusive given that there’s no cost for participants.
“We hope to become the evaluation service that is the measure for all others,” said Jay. “We also hope to bring a greater emphasis on character and citizenship to the young men who will be tomorrow’s leaders.”
For more information, call Neil Stratton at 832.443.3350 or via email at nstratton@nationalathleticcombine.com.
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Combine Information
Looking for general information about the combine? Learn more about the NAC measurements and drills — click here.
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