Student-Athlete Success Story
June 1st, 2009 - byI recently spoke on the 5 things you need to know and the 5 things you need to do to be recruited at the Schuman National Underclassmen Combine in Columbus, Ohio. Among those in attendance was Plymouth High School sophomore Damon Howe. Damon heard my presentation at his High School a few months ago. His family enrolled him 
in NCSA.
Damon is a great example of utilizing all the strengths of NCSA to contact College Football coaches. Not long after qualifying for NCSA, he started hearing from schools. “Stanford, Ball State, Western Michigan, Cincinnati,” said Damon. “Even Dartmouth.”
Damon took advantage of the general information Western Michigan sent. He contacted the coaching staff. Remember, you can contact College Coaches anytime. He was able to arrange an unofficial visit up to Kalamazoo where he sat down with O Line Coach Bob Stanley. “I liked how he was honest,” said Damon. “He said if you come D-1, we will own you. What he meant was that it is a lot of work. I appreciated that candor.”
Damon and his family are proactive in the recruiting process. They are taking advantage of everything in NCSA, and then doing things on their own. He came down to the Schuman Combine to see how he stacked up against 10th graders from his part of the midwest. He was named the top Offensive Lineman of the Combine. That will get him on some more lists of College Coaches and give him another nugget in his NCSA profile.
Like many young people, he would love to play D1, and very well could play at that level. “Hopefully, I can get taller,” he said. “Georgia Tech doesn’t look at height as much on the O Line.” He is also open to playing at other levels. So many young people get “D1 eyes” and get hung up on that level. Remember, less than 1 percent of high school athletes get a full ride at D1. There are about 1800 Colleges offering sports, with the great majority outside the D-1 level.
Damon plays multiple sports at tradition rich Plymouth High School in northern Indiana. College Coaches like kids who play multiple sports. They get to be leaders on different teams. They work different muscle groups. They don’t burn out as much as the kids who play one sport non stop. Most importantly, they get to be with their buddies.
He had been encouraged to get into NCSA from fellow Plymouth High player Brandon Boswell. “He has been getting personal letters,” said Damon. “He said NCSA helped him a lot. If he hadn’t done it, word would not have gotten out as much about him.”
– Charlie Adams, Speaker
