In an initiative to streamline college football recruiting opportunities for high school football players, the Texas High School Coaches Association has organized a recruiting tour showcase with combine skill training with verified footage and data to be uploaded to the Signing Day Sports app.
That includes a combine event on Saturday in Houston, which features Katy, North Shore and The Woodlands high schools, followed by events in Beaumont on Sunday, Austin on March 5and San Antonio on March 6.
The app, available on Apple and Android phones and at texas.signingdaysports.com, features a side-by-side comparison tool for coaches to compare athletes' testing numbers to make recruiting decisions with video of testing, measurables, fundamental and drill recordings, game schedules and stats as well as other tools to try to raise awareness of athletes to help them earn scholarships.
"I related to the disruption of the regular way recruiting takes place, and I fell in love with the business model," Signing Day Sports CEO John Dorsey said in a telephone interview. "One of the reasons we're doing this with Texas and their coaches association is our interests were pretty aligned. We wanted to disrupt the space and get away from the traditional model. I wanted to not put a barrier on anything and not have families held hostage for thousands of dollars per year. This allows families and for people to find players in Texas for as little as 17 to 18 dollars per year, so it's affordable and we guarantee it's going to get eyes on you as a player. There's a huge talent pool in Texas.
"Texas is at the forefront of recruiting. We're not going to tell you you're the next Tom Brady, but we will put the right eyes on you. The Super Bowl MVP, Cooper Kupp, is from Eastern Washington. He was a kid that wasn't even on recruiting databases. He had no stars. He wasn't on anybody's radar. He walked on at a small school. Cooper isn't the only one out there like him. There are plenty of other football players that fall through the cracks. This is about letting people know about those kids to help them get their shot."
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