A football 'Mega' practice? What it is and how it will benefit high school recruits
Russ Stoner admitted it started as a "selfish" idea.
A big part of his job as York High head football coach is helping his players get recruited. That means taking players to football camps on college campuses "all up and down the Mid-Atlantic." And that means long, exhausting travel days in the offseason.
"It is time consuming, it is financially draining, and it's physically draining," Stoner said.
Stoner said he asked himself a question after last year: "What if I hosted the biggest darn practice I can coach and get as many college coaches as I can get there?"
That idea is coming to fruition this month. Stoner and York Suburban head coach Josh Fry are hosting a recruiting event titled the "York Football Mega Practice" at York Suburban High School on May 17 at 5 p.m. It is being advertised as an opportunity for high school football players to showcase their skills in front of college coaches at a local location.
There are currently 54 colleges ranging from the Division I to Division III levels expected to attend the event — though that will depend on NCAA recruiting rules. Stoner said there are currently more than 150 athletes registered for the event — many from York County but also some from areas including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. He expects there to be between 200 and 250 players there.
Registration for the event concludes Wednesday and can be done here.
The "Mega Practice" has a $75 registration fee. According to Stoner and York Suburban athletic director Ron Coursey, the money from the event will be split between the York Suburban football program, Stoner's nonprofit Accountability for Life and website PA Football News, which is helping to sponsor and promote the event.
Stoner said they have offered to let every YAIAA school send two players to the practice free of charge.
Coursey, who has worked in western Pennsylvania and in the Mid-Penn Conference, said he's seen similar events at college campuses and large 6A high schools but not at schools in York County. He hopes it can become an annual event.
"I think this is unique to central Pennsylvania," Coursey said. "We wanted to do something special that's never been done in York County. This provides kids a chance to increase their visibility in ways they couldn't before."
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Why York Suburban?
Two of the most ambitious men in local athletics, Stoner and Coursey worked together at York High from 2016 to 2017. After being named the school's athletic director, Coursey made hiring Stoner as head football coach one of his first moves.
They have collaborated numerous times since. Stoner's teams have played at showcases Coursey hosted at Woodland Hills and Chambersburg. Stoner and Fry are both West York grads and have known each other for years through local coaching circles.
Besides those relationships, York Suburban has two turf fields on its campus which makes it ideal for a large event. The school is also centrally located in York County.
How will the event meet NCAA rules?
NCAA recruiting rules differ at each level. Division I FBS (higher than FCS) is the most restrictive while Division III has few specific rules since players do not receive athletic scholarships at that level.
The NCAA is current in an "evaluation period" until May 31 — meaning college coaches can watch athletes in person and visit their high schools.
However, according to NCAA bylaws, Division I football camps "shall be conducted on the institution's campus or in facilities regularly used by the institution." Stoner said the Division I schools invited are reviewing with their conferences whether they can attend the event, which is billed as a practice and not a camp. Division I schools are allowed to attend "regularly scheduled high school, preparatory school and two-year college contests/tournaments and practices."
Schools listed in the advertisement that decide they can't attend will be sent video of the event.
As for PIAA regulations, players will not be wearing pads and engaging in live contact since its an offseason event.
How will the practice be run?
Coursey said it would be easy for "an event of this size to have kids just running around and college coaches get nothing out of it."
That's why the organizers said this practice will focus on football drills and instruction rather than "combine" elements like the 40-yard dash and bench press. Athletes will work in position groups and participate in drills specific to that position with offensive players on one field and defensive players on another.
While players will be asked to focus on a specific position, Fry said they will have the opportunity to switch between offense and defense if they choose.
"You'll get about 15 minutes of instruction time and then drilling that will help college coaches see your explosiveness and how you open your hips," Stoner said. "And we're going to challenge them to see if kids have the ability to dig in and compete when they're tired."
The York High and York Suburban coaching staffs will be running the drills along with "at least a dozen" current college players from the area. Fry said a number of coaches from other York County schools will also be helping out.
The plan is to have a college coach helping out with each position group. Fry said there are two Division II schools checking with compliance to see if their coaches can help run the practice. If not, there are Division III coaches who will be able to help. He declined to say what schools until the compliance situation was resolved.
Stoner said college coaches watching the practice will be asked to write down one or two players that impressed them during the practice. Those players will get a 20-minute "bonus" workout at the end of the practice.
"I want to help kids get their mindset right and understand if you don't compete on every rep, you don't really want to be a college player," Stoner said. "If you walk from station to station and don't try to be the first guy up, you're wasting your time."
Schools invited to the event
Division I FBS*
Pitt
Bowling Green
Syracuse
Buffalo
Old Dominion
Liberty
Western Michigan
Penn
Division I FCS
Holy Cross
Monmouth
Saint Francis
Albany
Lafayette
Lehigh
Bryant
William & Mary
Duquesne
Villanova
Division II
Millersville
California University of Pennsylvania
West Liberty
IUP
Edinoro
Shepherd
Wheeling University
Division III
Wilkes
Gettysburg
Ursinus
Ithaca
Widener
Albright
Muhlenberg
Keystone College
St. Vincent College
Lycoming
Eastern
*Division I schools will be sent video of the event if they can't attend due to NCAA restrictions
Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: York High, York Suburban football to host major recruiting practice
