High school football players hoping to improve their skills are keeping busy this summer.
Attending a camp introduces one’s abilities — be it throwing, kicking, punting, tackling, snapping or blocking — to a new audience of college coaches at all levels.
Some Johnson County players are making the rounds, while others benefit just from a few hours at one camp. Below is a small sample size of players, where they’ve gone and what they’ve learned:
P.J. Buck
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School: Center Grove
Position: Punter
Class: Senior
Height: 6-0
Weight: 195
Camps visited: Purdue, Kohl’s Kicking Camp at Brownsburg
Greatest benefit: “Just seeing how consistent you have to be to play college football and even in playing high school football. Every ball has to be your best ball to play at the next level.”
Clayton Coll
School: Franklin
Position: Linebacker
Class: Senior
Height: 6-3
Weight: 220
Camps visited: Wisconsin (twice)
Greatest benefit: “Everywhere you go, you’re going to get a different kind of coaching. Maybe you get a different perspective than what you get at home. It let me see how far I could push my technique. Going to a camp like that, a top 10 program, you see what they ask of their players.”
Luke Eckert
School: Center Grove
Position: Kicker
Class: Senior
Height: 6-2
Weight: 200
Camps visited: Ball State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Greatest benefit: “Really seeing how I stack up to the other people in my grade and seeing how much work I still have to do. Those were the three I was invited to, and those were places I would love to go if I did well. It was a little different being my first time kicking off the ground.”
Jake Keith
School: Center Grove
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Senior
Height: 6-2
Weight: 200
Camps visited: Ball State, Indiana, Indianapolis
Greatest benefit: “How to use your hands off the line and speed releases. And with route running by using different drills. This year I’m really trying to work on the over-the-shoulder catch because I’ve picked up some speed.”
Isaiah Lacey
School: Indian Creek
Position: Quarterback/receiver
Class: Senior
Height: 6-2
Weight: 180
Camps visited: Indiana Wesleyan, Taylor, Franklin College (July 22)
Greatest benefit: “I’ve actually been going as a receiver because that’s what I plan on playing in college. Honestly, it’s different at each camp. You learn so many different things. The coolest part was being at a college and playing on a college field.”
Landen Lowry
School: Whiteland
Position: Linebacker/long snapper/tight end
Class: Senior
Height: 6-2
Weight: 205
Camps visited: Kohl’s Specialty Camp at Warren Central, Junior Showcase at Westfield, Taylor
Greatest benefit: “Probably my best way to get to college is long-snapping. It’s getting experience, which helps you learn and improve as a player. Getting that new style of coaching, they probably see little things your normal coaches don’t see.”
Tyson Sackman
School: Edinburgh
Position: Quarterback
Class: Junior
Height: 6-4
Weight: 186
Camp visited: Indianapolis
Greatest benefit: “Definitely the coaching. The Butler quarterback coach was there and taught me how to position my arm to get more zip on the ball. They taught us what colleges look for in a student-athlete.”
