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Blu's Blog: Visiting Colleges Early Helps In The Decision Making Process

Larry BlockSFHSSports: Twitter | Facebook

It's hard to miss. High school coaches and players gathered around for a photo that will last a lifetime.

Welcome to the late summer – where high school meets college and tradition greets those with hopes and dreams. It has become a ritual that dozens of South Florida football coaches are now taking full advantage of.

Whether it's the statue of Bear Bryant or Nick Saban at Alabama, Mikey The Tiger and Les Miles at LSU – or a quick clang of a cowbell that has become a tradition in Starkville, Ms., South Florida football talent is checking them all out.

It's all about bus and van rides and learning a lot about your teammates and coaches. It's eating legendary BBQ in the south – or seeing and learning firsthand about the history that they have in books in school.

What is now becoming a summer "must-do" really began decades ago – when veteran head football coach Mark Berman, who was at North Miami and Miami Beach at the time, started to take a van load of prospects to smaller schools around the southeast and in the Atlantic states.

While some high school coaches attempted to do the same, the expense of taking seven or eight players away for a week was something that became hard to do financially.

When Brett Goetz and his South Florida Express 7-on-7 team started to make the college tours as part of the summer schedule, it once again sparked the momentum – as visiting Ole Miss, South Carolina, LSU, Tennessee and other hotbeds became a tradition.

Local high school football promoter Mike Tunsil, who graduated from Monsignor Pace and coached Hialeah's Champagnat Catholic to a Class 2A state title, was one of the locals at the center of the summer special. He saw the advantage of being able to bring kids to schools when they could see the entire campus on their own.

"The idea was simple," Tunsil said. "You bring Florida kids on campus and these coaches and players loved it. Having the reputation that we have in South Florida for churning out high-level college and NFL talent was interesting to these schools."

The opportunity to get South Florida's elite and rising talent at places such as Kentucky, Louisville, Louisiana-Lafayette, Tulane, Troy State and numerous other schools was exciting.

The state of Florida has benefitted in a great way as well – with FSU, USF, UCF, Florida and several other smaller schools around the state getting many of these prospects on campus for a camp or just to see what the school is about.

This summer has been the best yet for local prospects – and many are not waiting until late July to travel. Coaches from Edison such as Jon Drummond and Vick Evans have hit the circuit. So have Southridge offensive coordinator David Cooney, South Broward head coach Devon Georgia and assistant coach Junior Rosegreen.

"Our objective is to get our program and the prospects out there for coaches to see," explained Georgia, who has transformed his alma mater into a team that will challenge this coming season. "The coaches come by during the spring, but it's tough for them to sell what their schools are all about. This way, kids and their coaches come on to campus and see everything - it's a great advantage for everyone involved."

In addition, coaches from Chaminade-Madonna, Boyd Anderson head coach Eddie Brown, St. Thomas Aquinas assistant Glenn Holt and Tim "Ice" Harris and his four-time defending 4A state champion Booker T. Washington Tornadoes have also been at a number of events.

"The college coaches at all the schools – big and small – are thrilled when South Floridians come to their camps and to see their campus," Tunsil explained. "They know when you have a Southridge, Booker T. Washington, Central or any other school in our region, there is going to be a lot of competition and many people wanting to bring their best."

With an opportunity to visit such traditional destinations as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, FSU and other powers often get prospects such as Edison's Nadab Joseph and Kayode Oladele; as well as Central defensive lineman Owen Carney and South Dade standout Darius Brown to attend.

For defending Class 8A state champion Flanagan, the quest to get back to Orlando has been an ongoing thing for first head coach Stanford Samuel Jr. and his son, Stanford Samuel III, who recently committed to attend his father's alma mater, FSU.

Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, FSU, Western Kentucky and South Carolina – where prospects such as Faion Hicks, Clevan Thomas and Mater Academy's Mikel Jones had the chance to showcase their skills.

"The opportunity to travel and see these places really makes it all worthwhile," said Cooney, who has made two separate trips to help the players gain exposure this offseason. "Getting to see head coaches like Jimbo Fisher, Will Muschamp, Dan Mullen, Kirby Smart and so many others interacting with the kids is tremendous."

While there are different groups of players and coaches headed out to different schools and various regions of the country, very few coaches have been as busy this offseason than Western's Adam Ratkevich.

Already this summer, the veteran head coach took players to the University of Southern California, working the event himself. The Wildcats already went to FAU and Miami, and this past weekend visited Southern Mississippi, Georgia and UCF.

"The best thing for many of these young men is to get to see these schools, meet the coaches and let them see what they can do to impress them," Ratkevich said. "This is just another advantage that they have now in this new world of recruiting."

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