Tampa Bay HIgh School Combine participant completes the broad jump

The invited participants ran through a variety of tests, judging speed, strength, and agility. The combine was modeled after the NFL Combine, used annually to examine the next crop of NFL rookies. The most publicized of these tests is the 40-yard dash, a straight line sprint used to determine a player’s speed and explosion. The other tests at the combine included the vertical jump, broad (long) jump, the 3-cone drill, and the pro agility drill (shuttle run). For a description of these drills, click here Combine tests.

“It was a great experience. A lot of guys did some record times and results so everyone showed up strong and fast,” said Jackson Smigiel, a defensive lineman from Bloomingdale. “I thought it was a great chance to learn from different coaches and I can use some of the stuff I learned into the summer workouts and then on the field next fall.”

Twenty-one schools were represented at the combine. The biggest contingents came from Blake, King, and Wireglass with seven participants each.  The majority of the players at the combine were from Hillsborough County, but a select few were from other parts of the state of Florida, including Orlando and Jacksonville.

“I got the invite on Facebook and had to come down,” said Derik Abbott, a quarterback from Freedom High School in Orlando. “It gave me a chance to prove myself against the top competition in the Tampa area.”

The Tampa Bay High School Combine was a tremendous outlet for numerous college programs to gather more information on prospective recruits. It also gave the smaller college programs with a limited recruiting budget a chance to see multiple prospects from different schools at the same time.

The results of the combine will be sent, per request, to any interested collegiate program.

“It is great exposure,” said East Bay running back Quantavious Gibbs. “Having the schools out here made me work harder and perform to the best of my abilities.”

For the premier athletes in the Tampa region, such as Armwood’s Matt Jones, college programs begin their pursuit early on in the player’s high school career. The student-athletes taking part in Saturday’s combine have just scratched the surface in their recruiting process and hope the event can be the springboard they use to peak the interest of college programs all across the country.

“I am being recruited right now just by Northwestern,” said Tampa Bay Tech defensive end Andrew Green. “Hopefully with this combine more schools will become interested.”

Jones, arguably the state’s best running back, has been committed to the University of Florida since February. He chose the Gators over other premier programs such as Miami, Georgia, and Notre Dame. He chose not to participate in Saturday’s combine, but it did not stop him from coming out and taking in the day’s activities.

“Just watching, I see a lot of (Division I) prospects out here. I see everyone really going at each other, especially the wide receivers and (defensive backs) in the position drills,” Jones said on Saturday. “This is just a great chance for everyone to get better and get recognized.”     

If Saturday’s results were any indication, the power conference schools that either landed or missed out on Jones’ services will have to make a return trip to the Tampa area.

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission, with assistance from DeBartolo Sports University, put the event on and gave these athletes the opportunity to prove themselves against the best competition in and around Hillsborough County. Powerade, Bright House Sports Network, OAI and Under Armour were sponsors of the event.   

Keep checking back to www.tampabayfootballcombine.com for continuing coverage all week long of the event.

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