Scheduling i-s everything especially if it means at a moment’s notice making room on your daily planner for it. Just hours after Co-Founder Simi Strickland of UES and Recruiting Manager, Mike Beaird touched down in Las Vegas, Nevada plans to meet Baron Flenory & Kashann Simmons, the owners of New Level Athletics was set. “Baron & Kashann are really good at what they do!”, commented Strickland. The two-day event at UNLV featured an array of regional talent from the west and northwest areas.

New Level Athletics was impressive right out of the gates. “I was amazed at the level of competition these guys brought together. California1 was well represented by a number of USC bound players. Their motors never quit. New Level packaged it just right.”, said Strickland. This meeting brought both sides of the recruiting to one location. The pair combined resources to bring light to athletes and parents on how deep the competition is at this level and a few key notes for parents on recruiting. It takes involvement from both the athlete and the parent(s) for the recruiting to be a success. Get involved. “Most of the athletes are here to get better but it’s great to see the best know they still have to work hard”, said Strickland.  Regardless of the number of stars behind their names, most understand how important training is during the off season. The athletes who attended were reminded that all of this hard work would not go to waste so long as they continued to keep their grades on track.

New Level Athletics is a step up from the rest of the pack. UES looks forward to promoting their future events. We caught up with Strickland on the last day of the camp, “I admire what they (Next Level Athletics) have going on. There was this energy from the get go down to the closing minutes that I had not experienced at any other camp on the west coast.”

On the talent side of things, Washington’s own featured TE/LB- Jacob Pele of Auburn Riverside HS, WR- Gino Simoni of Skyline HS who was noted as having great separation speed and the top 2010 QB recruit Jake Heaps of Skyline HS with six scholarships offers as a sophomore. Utah’s L.T. Filiaga, ILB 6′1″ 230 lbs. of Bingham HS was very impressive at linebacker. So Cal’s stand-out Levine Toilolo took his game to a “new level” with a couple of circus catches. Strickland’s eye for talent also spotted WR Donnie Jennert showcasing his 4.4 speed. Jennert is 6′ 8″ 192 lbs. out of Glenwood Springs HS in Colorado. One final note, Strickland’s linebacker pick of the camp went to 6′2″ 235 lbs. USC commit, Vontaze Burfict. “He was the most physical linebacker on the field.”

2009 Levine Toilolo, Helix HS, commit to Stanford

2009 Deandre Coleman, Garfield HS, Offers in from LSU, UW, Oregon, Arizona

“Ultimate Edge has helped me a lot, by not just getting the opportunity to get noticed by colleges but also helping me understand what it takes to make it to college.

Since I’ve been with Ultimate Edge program, its made a big impact in my school and especially given me many opportunities and its also helped me in many ways by teaching me what I need in order to reach my goals.

Since I have been with Ultimate Edge it has been nothing but all support throughout the way, helping me and my parents in understanding what I need to make it to have a successful future, and I wish I would have known about this program earlier.

I have made many friends and met many coaches from many places through this program, and its helped me understand more on what I have to do and work on in order to have a successful future ahead of me and I would like to thank
Coach Simi for giving me that opportunity and his support for me and my little brother.”

D’Zachary Leatimua - Senior, Lakes HS, Lakewood, WA

2008 NIKE Football Training Camp Schedule
Sun., April 6th - Miami, Fla. - Univ. of Miami - 10-2pm
Sun., April 13th - Gainesville, Fla. - Univ. of Florida - 10-2pm
Sun., April 20th - Los Angeles, Calif. - USC - 10-2pm
Sat., April 26th - Fort Worth, Texas - TCU - 10-2pm
Sun., April 27th - Baton Rouge, La. - LSU - 10-2pm
Fri., May 2nd - Chapel Hill, N.C. - North Carolina - 1-5pm
Sat., May 3rd - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Univ. of Alabama - 11-3pm
Fri., May 9th - Columbus, Ohio - Ohio State Univ. - 1-5pm
Sat., May 10th - State College, Pa. - Penn State Univ. - 11-3pm
Sat., May 17th - Stanford, Calif. - Stanford Univ. - 10-2pm
Sat., June 7th - Eugene, Ore. - Univ. of Oregon - 10-2pm
Sat., June 14th - Provo, Utah - BYU - 10-2pm

Important Note: There will no longer be testing (40-yard dash, bench press, etc.) at the NIKE Football Training Camps - or college camps for that matter - due to NCAA legislation. Any player attending a NIKE Camp will need to go to a NIKE Combine first if he wishes to get tested and get a SPARQ Rating. Information on the 2008 NIKE Combines, including online registration, can be found here.

2008 NIKE COMBINES
YOU ARE INVITED - TEST YOURSELF WITH THE BEST!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR A 2008 NIKE COMBINE!

The premier high school athletic testing event, the NIKE Combines are a great opportunity for top high school players who aspire to play on the next level to see where they stand with their peers and get unbiased testing numbers by respected professionals in the industry.

Evan Slack signed his letter of intent with the University of Montana Western!

Deandre Coleman has received an offer from LSU!

Coe College has a scheduled visit with OL, Stephen Foster of Kent-Meridian HS this week. He is also on this trip as a finalist for the Spellman Scholarship competition.