Re-Classified WR Interested in Opportunity at UNC

TarHeelIllustrated.com

By: Andrew Jones

Braeden Heald, now a class of 2018 prospect and attending school in a new state, is intrigued by UNC's walk on program.

Braeden Heald is from Des Moines, IA, but will play his high school football this fall in North Hampton, MA.

It certainly wasn’t part of the original plan for Heald, a wide receiver who camped at UNC in June. Heald suffered an injury last fall that wrecked his senior season and any chance of landing a scholarship, so he and his family decided he should prep at Williston North Hampton.

In the process, Heald went from a class of 2017 prospect to a 2018 one. But he’s okay with that, this is something he believed was necessary. And given his performance in Chapel Hill, he’s likely to generate some attention in the next several months from bigger programs than he already has.

“Last year, I had the opportunity to play Division III football but my head just wasn't there so that's in part why I decided to do the PG year,” Heald told THI. “With the PG year coming up, I have been talking to a few northeastern and east coast FCS schools like Holy Cross, Fordham, Elon and then a little bit of Ivy interest with Princeton and Brown.”

What makes Heald relevant to UNC’s recruiting is that he did perform very well in June, but also he’s a candidate to walk on at Carolina. UNC’s success with walk ons, particularly at wide receiver with Mack Hollins and rising senior Thomas Jackson inspire prospects such as Heald.

“I absolutely am on the same page with the opportunity to walk on,” he said.

He spoke with wide receiver coach Gunter brewer and tight ends coach Chad Scott after his camp session, which was June 8, and they told him they liked some things about his game.

“Coach Scott told me he would put in a good word,” Heald said.

At 5-10 and 1 75 pounds, Heald may not get any Power 5 offers, but neither did Hollins or Jackson, so you never know. He’s worth keeping an eye on, and if there’s an opportunity to walk on at UNC, he just might take it.

THI

Florida Athlete Fred Billy Takes in Wisconsin's Practice

BadgerBlitz
By: Jon McNamara

On a college visit tour with Gain Sports in Florida, St. Stephen's (Bradenton) athlete Fred Billy was on Wisconsin's campus Thursday for the Badgers' spring practice.

"The visit was great," Billy told BadgerBlitz.com. "We saw the stadium, locker room and all the luxury stuff that Wisconsin had to offer to the student athletes."

A 5-foot-10, 180-pound athlete, Billy has been in contact with assistant recruiting coordinator Paul Meunier, who worked at Dwyer High School in Florida before accepting his current position at UW.

"The feedback from the coaches was great," said Billy, who plays quarterback in high school. "I was talking to Coach Paul Meunier and I loved the energy he gave off and the vibe from the school.

"They didn't say a specific position that they liked me at, but probably as a defensive back, slot receiver or running back. I can easily see myself being a Badger, no doubt about it."

At this point, Billy, who passed and ran for over 1,000 yards as a junior, has offers from McNeese State and South Florida.

"Right now I'm hearing the most from McNeese State, Western Kentucky, Central Arkansas, UConn, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Illinois and now Wisconsin," Billy said. "Our next trip is to Northwestern on Friday."

Sophomore quarterback Hayden Wolff and junior wide receiver Devaun Roberts were also part of Gain Sports' group that toured through Madison.

Wolves Diamond and York show strengths at 7v7 Regional

The Shawnee News Star
By Billy Brown, Sports Editor

Shawnee juniors Jack Diamond and Tyree York and the Gain Sports 7-on-7 team traveled to Bradenton, Fla., over the weekend to compete at the NFA 7v7 Southeast Regional where they finished as the No. 4 seed after pool play Saturday. Diamond and York, along with Skiatook’s Shae Garner and Baron Odom of Wynnewood, completed the Oklahoma portion of the team’s roster.

Gain Sports, founded in 2014, is a resource available to student-athletes, coaches, and teams to aid with events, marketing, promotion, athletic development and to provide access and education during the college recruitment process.

Team Gain went undefeated in their first three games of pool play Saturday, taking down Big HITS All Stars Club Silver coached by former NFL talent Ernie Sims to start their day. The boys followed up with a win over TC Elite Training as former Minnesota Viking receiver Randy Moss watched from the sidelines.

Diamond and his team capped the undefeated run with a big win over two-time National Champions Team Tampa before taking a loss in their final game against Burch Sports Performance.

The team hadn’t met for the first time until the night before and had less than three hours of practice time before their first game against Big HITS, Gain Sports Founder Josh Clark said.

The boys played in three games the next day, losing two in overtime after jumping out to early leads to drop out of the double-elimination tournament.

With the short amount of practice time and large success from Saturday, Clark is confident that the team could make a national name for themselves.

Diamond impressed by making high-level throws over the weekend and is a quarterback with a lot of capability.

“There are some small things Jack needs to put together and if he puts them together it's really going to help him take off,” Clark said.

York was equally impressive in the receiver role where he had “as impressive of a performance as any receiver in the tournament all weekend,” Clark said.

Clark said York is a highly skilled athlete with a capability to play at the highest level. He proved to be a playmaker amongst some of the best talent in Florida and the country, Clark said.

Odom is a big target who moves well for his size and is “probably one of the best blocking tight ends in the country on film,” Clark said.

Shae Garner, a receiver on the shorter side, has a lot of Darren Sproles-esque qualities at his height, Clark said, and has the capability to be an explosive player in the right offense.

Clark said that all four athletes were a pleasure to coach.

“Their eagerness and the work they put in, all four of these young men strive to be the best football players they can be... they did a really great job of representing the state of Oklahoma,” he said.

Shawnee senior and Vanderbilt commit Jackson Winrow and Wolves junior Creed Humphrey have also spent time working with Clark and Gain Sports.

Humphrey traveled with Gain Sports on their first summer college bus tour two summers ago approaching his sophomore season. At the University of Georgia, Humphrey quickly impressed from his first punch against elder Georgia defensive linemen, Clark said.

“We knew from that moment that this was a kid that wanted to play football,” he said.

The Wolves and the rest of the 7-on-7 team don’t know what their next challenge will be yet, but they will continue to accept the challenges put in front of them.

2015 Season Review: Max Mangum (9/15/15 Update)

MAX MANGUM (AUSTIN, TX / WESTLAKE HS) 2015 SEASON REVIEW

*** TEAM CAPTAIN ***

WEEK 1 (August 28, 2015) 
Austin Westlake 20 (1-0) vs Southlake Carroll 14 (0-1)
9 tackles (1 tackle for loss) and 1 interception

Revenging a loss during Westlake's 2014 season, Southlake Carroll entered this game ranked in the top 10 in the Texas Class 6A.  Mangum's 2nd quarter interception stopped Southlake Carroll's drive in the red zone proving to be a game changing play.  Southlake Carroll featured four players being recruited at a national level, including 2016 RB/ATH Jordan Humphrey (20+ offers), 2016 WR Zach Farrar (12+ offers), 2016 CB Obi Ehoh (Texas commit), and 2017 S Robert Barnes (Oklahoma commit).

WEEK 2 (September 4, 2015)
Austin Westlake 28 (2-0) @ Temple HS 17 (1-1)
12 tackles (1 tackle for loss)

Temple entered his game ranked #4 by the Associated Press in Texas Class 5A.  During the game, Mangum made an impressive open field tackle chasing down Temple WR Davion Curtis (2016 Georgia commit) to save a TD.  Temple did not score on the drive.  Curtis had previously been recorded 10:38 in the 100.  Following the game, Mangum ranked second on Westlake with 21 tackles.

WEEK 3 (September 11, 2015)
Austin Westlake 73 (3-0) vs Anderson HS 10 (2-1)
5 tackles (3 solo) and 1 pass break-up

For third consecutive week, Westlake delivers opponents first loss of the season.  On the 2nd defensive play of the game, Mangum deflected a pass on a blitz that led to a Westlake interception and to their first offensive score of the game.  Westlake has only given up 41 points in 3 games.  Following the Anderson game, Westlake was voted #10 in Class 6A as part of the Texas HS Football AP Rankings.

WEEK 4 (September 18, 2015)
Austin Westlake 56 (4-0) vs Austin HS 12 (2-1)
7 tackles (5 solo and 1 tackle for loss)

For the fourth consecutive week, Westlake hands opponent their first loss of the season.  Following this victory, Westlake entered the AP Class 6A Rankings at #9.

WEEK 5 (October 2, 2015)
Austin Westlake 24 (5-0) @ Bowie HS 9 (5-1)
7 tackles and 1 pass break-up

For the fifth consecutive week, Westlake handed their opponent its first loss of the season.

2017 Kentucky QB Commit Mac Jones from a Different Angle

Cats Illustrated
By Justin Rowland

Josh Clark has extensive experience in the recruiting world and he's able to offer a unique, insightful take on new UK quarterback commitment Mac Jones.

Clark is the founder of GAIN Sports. His purpose for the company is to help families and student-athletes identify best opportunities and resources to aid their athletic development, high school experience, and college recruitment. The company leads an extended bus tour during the summer taking promising football prospects to various college camps throughout the Southeast and Atlantic coast.

	Mac Jones impressed Kentucky with his release.

Prior, he was part of the original team to launch the IMG Academy Football program. He developed programming for the launch of their camp business and led the admission process for several of the student-athletes a part of their inaugural varsity football team. He was with IMG Academy for more than three years. He actually worked for Rivals.com at its inception in 1999, and also had a stint with Scout.com.

Clark's history with Jones began more than a year ago in the spring of 2014 as the quarterback was finishing his freshman year of high school. Jones signed up for GAIN Sports' bus tour and that turned out to help Jones receive a lot of exposure as a young, inexperienced high school player. In fact, the bus tour led Shannon Dawson to discover Jones, which began a sequence of events that couldn't have been predicted but led Jones to commit to Kentucky on Monday.

"My first introduction to Mac was spending 10 nights on the road with him, taking him to several different colleges," Clark told Cats Illustrated. "Not having met Mac beforehand, when he arrived on the bus he didn't scream out as a "young phenom", but sure enough once we started the camps he really stood out and that was among some good, elder high school quarterbacks we had with us. Our tour included a stop at West Virginia's camp. West Virginia's camp was the last on our tour. It was the tenth day and our guys were extremely fatigued by that point. Mac was really kind of discouraged about participating in camp that day because it had been a long trip."

In hindsight Clark wonders whether that trip was too grueling, and in fact he said he shortened their tour this summer to 7 nights from that experience. That tenth day in 2014 ended up working out well for Jones.

"What I told Mac that day was, 'You're a freshman going into your sophomore year. You can't take an opportunity like this for granted. You don't know what you can achieve? When's the next time you're going to be back in Morgantown, West Virginia with this great of an opportunity to make an impression this early in your career?'" Clark said.

Clark had been watching Jones compete at all of the previous stops along the way to West Virginia so his encouragement was more than a typical pep talk. He knew that Jones was impressing the coaches that had been evaluating him to that point, and he knew that West Virginia's staff would like Jones if they watched him throw.

Shannon Dawson was available to watch Jones throw that day. Jones was far from the only quarterback there that was hoping to make an impact. Clark remembers it being a "sizeable group" made up largely of rising seniors - and Jones, a second-semester freshman.

"Following camp Coach Dawson, who was then West Virginia's offensive coordinator, came and said that Mac was the best quarterback therethat day," Clark said. "That left a very strong impression on West Virginia and specifically Coach Dawson. I don't think very often a (rising) sophomore comes to camp and proves to be the best of an entire group of quarterback prospects."

As early as the recruitment of quarterbacks begins these days, things moved slowly for a while after that. Dawson had made it clear that Jones was a quarterback he would be keeping an eye out for, but there was no sense of urgency with a Class of 2017 prospect at the time. Late last year an assistant coach from West Virginia did stop by Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles to check in on Jones and show the staff's interest.

Jones could be an ambassador for Kentucky in his home state of Florida.

Then Neal Brown left Kentucky for Troy and Dawson landed in Lexington after a search that went at Mark Stoops' own pace.

"I followed up with Coach Dawson in the spring time to let him know that Mac was getting ready to take over the starting job at Bolles for spring practice and to check in and see if he'd have the opportunity to get down to Bolles," Clark said. "Coach Dawson responded that he wanted to see Mac in camp this summer. Mac got his way up to Lexington and sure enough he threw well enough to where Coach Dawson decided to extend him an offer. That's how the connection was developed from the first bus tour -- from not wanting to throw at West Virginia to doing it and leaving an impression on Coach Dawson. Fast-forward and it's to Kentucky's benefit."

Clark doesn't seem surprised that Jones landed in the SEC. Having watched him compete at so many events he was confident that opportunities would come his way. At first the only thing standing between Jones and offers were things outside of his control, namely, his youth and the unknown that came with inexperience and the absence of much of a resume.

Some coaches were still taking a wait and see approach with Jones because of their own preferences but it's now clear that Dawson's thinking on Jones is right in line with Clark's.

"What Coach Dawson was really impressed with was Mac's release," Clark said. "Going back to him seeing Mac a year before at West Virginia, the thing that stood out was his release. He has not found many high school quarterbacks with as natural a throwing release. Mac throws an accurate football. Mac can make all the throws necessary to succeed. Mac is a bright guy and he continues to grow. He's over 6-foot-2 and weighs over 180 pounds now. Those numbers are only going to go up."

Clark said Jones realizes that continuing his physical development, getting bigger and adding strength are all necessities if he is to maximize his potential. Jones was praised for his footwork at such a young age at the IMG 7-on-7 he attended this summer, and Clark said that as Jones continues to improve in that area and improve his ability to 'stay stacked' he will incorporate his legs more into his throws, Clark said.

"Mac is only scratching the surface," Clark said with certainty.

Beyond his skills as a passer, which are rare not only for a player his age but especially for a player with so little starting experience at the high school level Jones has many of the intangibles and leadership qualities a coach wants in a quarterback.

"He's a fierce competitor," he said, pointing to Jones' desire to attend as many camps and exposure opportunities as possible. "He's a gamer. He wants to soak up all the knowledge he can. He's eager to learn. He's a determined young man. He wants to be the best quarterback in the SEC. He's got a lot of room to grow to get there but he's going to give it his all to achieve that."

Clark has an extensive professional history in the recruiting world and he knows about the importance of a quarterback commitment, not only in terms of a program's future but also in his role as leader of a recruiting class.

"Mac is a networker," Clark continued. "He's a guy that gets out for every competitive setting available. He's not afraid to interact and he's a very well-known guy in the state of Florida. You can rest assured he's going to be one of Kentucky's lead recruiters over the next two years. Kentucky's going to be very excited to see Mac's maturation as a quarterback and also to have him as an ambassador for the next two recruiting classes. He's knowledgeable for his age and understands the scope of being a Kentucky quarterback."

Milford's Domenic Cozier goes prospecting on Bus Tour

The Boston Globe

By Andrew McDougall

Domenic Cozier was not going to wait for his big break. The Milford teen chose instead to chase it down.

The summer before senior year is a critical period for high school football players with college aspirations, especially in New England. Few prospects are able to lure top programs to the Northeast, away from the hotbeds of the South and West.

In order to catch the eye of major college coaches, many players opt to pack the family car and travel far and wide in hopes of securing that elusive scholarship.

Unlike his peers, however, Cozier took a bus, on a seven-day tour.

“I thought that was one of the best decisions I’ve made,” said the 18-year-old running back, a rising senior at Milton Academy. “Being from Massachusetts, we have to go out . . . for them to notice us. Even if we have the talent, we still have to go out to them.”

The trip, organized by Florida-based Gain Sports, took the 5-foot-8 Cozier and several other prospects to eight states and 15 universities in Football Bowl Subdivision conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, SEC). The schools included Clemson, North Carolina State, West Virginia, and Old Dominion.

“I thought it really exposed me to these big colleges,” Cozier said, “and I think it’ll really help me in the future” in vying for a scholarship from Division 1 programs.

He was able to tour Louisville and Wake Forest, and chat with coaches at Penn State and Vanderbilt, but it was a 7-on-7 scrimmage at Maryland that may have been the biggest benefit to Cozier.

JONATHAN WIGGS/THE BOSTON GLOBE

Domenic Cozier made a favorable impression with his workout at the University of Maryland.

As opposed to a typical summer football camp environment, which focuses on skills-testing drills, the 7-on-7 event allowed Cozier to put his vision and 4.4-second time in the 40-yard dash on display in game-like settings.

Maryland defensive backs coach Darrell Perkins told Cozier he loved what he saw. Cozier is a special talent, he said, and they would certainly be in touch. The Terrapins have recruited a running back similar in size to Cozier.

“It’s really exciting. It’s one of the most exciting processes of my life,” Cozier said. “At some points it gets stressful, but it’s for the game you love.”

To read the complete article, please visit the link below

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2015/07/16/milford-domenic-cozier-goes-prospecting-fbs-bus-tour/vJIeZxSxS5DdTnxwK98UNN/story.html

2015 Signing Day Recap

[SARASOTA] -  With great honor, we are proud to celebrate the signings of several of our student-athletes from Signing Day February 4, 2015.   This group marks our first full year class as part of the GAIN Sports fraternity and we could not be more happy for the opportunity each deservedly earned to sign their National Letter of Intent.  Here's your opportunity to learn their stories as they embark on their college football careers!




First, we will start with our mid-year enrollments who joined their respective universities at the start of this current semester.

QB HAMPTON HOWARD (6'4 235) - FOLEY, AL 

Signed with Mississippi State University.  Hampton had traveled a path less traveled than others when he joined GAIN Sports at the time our company launched in January 2014.  He did not start his football career until the off-season entering his senior year and even then had to sit behind his head coach's son.   He went the postgraduate route playing the 2013 season at Jireh Prep in Matthews, NC.   Despite overtures to start his college career at Division Two and Division Three universities following his season at Jireh Prep, Hampton remained focus on his desire to play FBS football.  All stars seemed to line up last spring when Hampton was introduced to Cisco Junior College in Cisco, TX whom recruited Hampton to be their starting quarterback.   As fate would play out, a new head coach was brought in last July and detoured the plans for Hampton to be the starter.  Thus, Hampton sat on the sideline this past fall continuing to prepare and train at a high level and elected to apply to his dream school since childhood, Mississippi State.  Once communication was established with the Mississippi State coaching staff, Hampton was immediately targeted as a preferred walk-on quarterback to enroll at the start of the spring semester.   Better yet, due to his strong academic background, he was awarded an academic scholarship.  He is currently enrolled in classes.

JIREH PREP HIGHLIGHTS

PRIVATE THROWING SESSION

OL PATRIC MINUTI (6'4 305) - TORONTO (CANADA)

Signed with Purdue University.  Patric transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL for his senior season (2013) just prior to the start of fall camp as a member of their inaugural varsity football team. Despite a successful season on the field, to go along with a late arrival at the school, Patric encountered transcript issues that also forced him to have a late start with his college recruitment.  As the 2014 Signing Day passed, Patric verbally committed as a recruited walk-on at Marshall University.  Once the fall rolled around, Patric chose to not enroll at Marshall and hooked up with GAIN Sports to pursue walk-on opportunities at Big Ten universities.  During the 2014 season, Patric successfully received invitations to attend games at both Michigan State and Penn State; in addition; to take an unofficial visit to Purdue.  Following his visits to all three schools and communications with each of the school's offensive line coaches, Patric decided to attend Purdue.  He is currently enrolled in classes and expects to make a push for a spot on their two-deep entering the 2015 season.

2013 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

OL QUENTIN HALL (6'5 305) - BOSTON, MA

Signed with Assumption College.  Quentin joined GAIN Sports following his senior season at Thayer Academy in Boston, MA.   Quentin had already been through the thick of his college recruitment receiving various FBS and FCS interest but had not solidified a scholarship at those levels heading into Signing Day.  Quentin chose to play a postgraduate season at Milford Academy in New Berlin, NY and joined the GAIN Sports Bus Tour this past summer.  He performed well at the camps he attended on the tour and received praise from North Carolina offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic as a prospect he wanted to evaluate this fall.  Playing the majority of the 2014 season at guard, Quentin did not have an opportunity to flourish at his most natural position left tackle until the last game of the year versus Navy Prep which was his best game film.  That resulted in late promotion of his film to FBS and FCS recruiters and despite late interest from FBS and FCS programs to wait for Signing Day, Quentin elected to continue his education at Assumption College in Worcester, MA at the start of the mid-term.   He is currently enrolled in classes and is preparing to make a push for a starting position this fall.

2014 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Now we will transition to the student-athletes whom signed last week on Signing Day and will enroll at their respective universities this fall.

WR DEJON BRISSETT (6'2 175) - MISSISSAUGA (CANADA)

Signed with University of Richmond.  Entering his junior season of high school, Dejon transferred to the Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, IL to play for head coach Robin Bowkett.  Dejon made his introduction with us when he joined the GAIN Sports Bus Tour last summer.  He made a lasting impression as the most fierce competitor and skilled athlete we saw in attendance at each of the last four camps we attended (UNC, Wake Forest, UVA, and West Virginia).  Dejon followed up with an outstanding senior season earning first team all-conference in the Chicago Catholic League; also being named the red division offensive player of the year.   Many elite FCS programs, including Richmond, New Hampshire, Lafayette, Bucknell, and others wasted no time extending scholarship offers.  In the end, Dejon chose to sign with Richmond University.  In our opinion, FBS recruiters will regret they passed on Dejon Brissett.

2014 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

GAIN SPORTS BUS TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

SAFETY JORDAN ALLEN (6'2 200) - BOSTON, MA

Signed with Fordham University.  The first class of 2015 prospect to join GAIN Sports, Jordan possesses all the athletic attributes you desire in a skill position player.   He's long, explosive, and fast with the vertical ability and radius to catch any football thrown near him.  An accomplished track athlete, owning the 100m and 200m records at his school,. Jordan attended Thayer Academy in Boston, MA.   Jordan was quickly on the recruiting radar for many FBS and FCS programs last spring, and flirted with a scholarship offer from Boston College for much of the late spring through early summer.   Jordan made great growth on the GAIN Sports Bus Tour last summer competing against great talent in the south.  He was set to have a break out senior season before unfortunately suffering a broken wrist before the season opener.   One of the first schools to offer Jordan a scholarship was Fordham University and their decision to stand by him resulted in his decision to sign a national letter.   Fordham's plans appear to be to start Jordan's career at safety.   Jordan has a high ceiling for growth and we are excited to follow his progression!

GAIN SPORTS BUS TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

2013 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

QB BRANDON BISACK (6'5 200) - FAIRFIELD, CT

Signed with UCONN.   We first saw Brandon in training sessions during the 2014 spring and saw a 6'5 quarterback with arm talent to play at a high level.   Brandon joined the GAIN Sports Bus Tour and performed well.  Unfortunately, many of the schools he camped at decided to take a quarterback commitment before giving Brandon a full evaluation.  Brandon earned first team all-conference honors during the 2014 season at Warde HS in Fairfield, CT; a program he turned from an annual 1 or 2 win team to finishing with a winning record and play competitively. Solely based on film evaluation, Brandon could not dodge the perception he did not have the mobility or athleticism to excel as an FBS level scholarship quarterback. Fortunately, UCONN head coach Bob Diaco was able to take in Brandon's game live versus traditional power New Canaan HS. Coach Diaco immediately targeted Brandon following the game and sustained a high level of pursuit to sign Brandon as a recruited walk-on quarterback.  We have great confidence Coach Diaco has a quarterback who will make a strong push to be a scholarship, starting quarterback during his career there.  Brandon continues to improve his overall athleticism and made great strides during the last off-season.  He is solid with his lower half mechanics, gets the ball out quickly with good velocity, changes ball speeds effectively and throws with good accuracy.

2014 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

GAIN SPORTS BUS TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

LB HUDSON HALL (6'1 218) - AUSTIN, TX

Signed with Kansas University.  Hudson joined us after the first four games of his senior year looking to expand his recruitment with additional FBS opportunities.  Hudson did his part earning Defensive MVP in District 14-6A following his senior season at Westlake High School in Austin, TX; but unfortunately; did not receive an FBS offer leading up to Signing Day.  A few FBS schools (Texas Tech, Kansas, SMU, and Purdue) made overtures to Hudson as a recruited walk-on and it was Kansas who made the most aggressive movement with newly appointed head coach David Beatty personally traveling to Westlake to visit Hudson before Signing Day.  After completing a visit to Kansas, Hudson felt comfortable his opportunity to earn a scholarship and chose the Jayhawks.  We're confident the best for Hudson Hall lies ahead and you will hear his name associated with the Jayhawks resurgence in the Big 12.

2014 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

WR/ATH HENRY HOUDEN (6'4 190) - MADISON, WI

Signed with University of Wisconsin.  Henry joined GAIN Sports one year ago with ambition of playing quarterback at the next level and was not short sighted with the goal given he had talent to play quarterback in college.  As he sat behind his coach's son at quarterback during his junior season, Henry asked to play defense and finished the 2013 season as an all-conference performer at safety.  It was realized then with his frame and fluid athleticism, Henry had versatile talents to promote along with a 4.0 GPA and 32 ACT.  Also an accomplished basketball player, Henry continued to pursue opportunities at quarterback while developing his overall athletic skill.  He impressed at summer camps at Princeton, Harvard, and at the New England Elite Football Clinic and gained momentum with his recruitment heading into his senior season.   Henry did it all for his team during 2014 playing quarterback, wide receiver, safety, and outside linebacker.   If not for a coaching transition at the end of the season, Henry performed at the standard to earn first team all-state honors.  It was his time at wide receiver that stood out most to college recruiters this fall and eventually landed him recruited walk-on opportunities at Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Stanford.   He also fielded strong interest from Penn, Columbia, and Dartmouth.  In the end, Henry could not bypass the opportunity to play for the hometown Badgers and looks to become the next walk-on success story at Wisconsin.   He is expected to play WR.

2014 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

FS/ATH DUSTY PEEBLES (6'2 190) - BRADENTON, FL

Signed with Southeastern University.  Dusty was another who had ambition to play quarterback at the next level and rightfully so after performing among the best quarterbacks in Manatee County playing 7A football his junior season.   After transferring to Bradenton Christian School to play his senior season, the door opened for Dusty to be a two-way performer gaining his first experience as a starter on safety.   He performed strongly during the 2014 season making several key plays to propel Bradenton Christian to a winning season.   He received overtures from several FCS programs before deciding to stay near home to play for Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL.   He has his goals set high to help Southeastern become a formidable power at the NAIA level. Dusty is an explosive athlete with a 4.53 speed who puts the team first.   He carries a 4.0 GPA, 2000 SAT, and 30 ACT.   We expect he will have great success at Southeastern and in his life following.

2014 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

OL/LS KEVYN RAMETTA (6'3 270) - BRADENTON, FL

Signed with Southeastern University.  Kevyn joined us one year ago without significant varsity playing experience through his junior season.   Kevyn transferred to Bradenton Christian School for his senior season with a strong off-season plan for development.   He joined the GAIN Sports Bus Tour during last summer performing well at several colleges. Then, went on to have a strong senior season starting each game at center on the offensive line also handling all snapping duties on special teams.  Kevyn is an accomplished long snapper and has worked extensively with Coach Chris Rubio over the past year.   Despite overtures from FCS, D2, and D3 programs, Kevyn decided to join his childhood friend and longtime teammate Dusty Peebles and signed with Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. 

2014 SEASON OL HIGHLIGHTS

2014 SEASON LS HIGHLIGHTS    

FS/SS TRISTAN WOOD (6'1 185) - TAMPA, FL

Signed with Bethel University.  Tristan is an instinctive, athletic, tough football player we discovered mid way through the 2014 season at Cambridge Christian School in Tampa, FL.   He already was in the midst of his college recruitment with interest from Michigan Tech and Truman State, among others.  His desire though was to stay in the south and in our work together, identified visit opportunities to Carson Newman, Lindsey Wilson, Cumberlands, Bethel, and Southeastern universities.  Tristan hit it off with Bethel defensive coordinator Willie Fells and instantly felt at home.  Not much later, he made his decision to sign with Bethel and will join the program at free safety.

2014 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

QB ANTHONY ABBONDANZA (6'2 210) - LONG ISLAND, NY

Signed with Pace University.   We were introduced to Anthony through our friends in Long Island and it did not take long to feel great about his talents and maturity.   After playing in a Wing-T through his junior season at Mt. Sinai, Anthony transferred to Long Island Lutheran to play in a pro-style offense for the first time in his playing career and threw for nearly 2,000 yards in 7 games and broke four school records.   While Anthony has to continue to develop his mechanics throwing the football, his junior highlights on the defensive side ball prove his toughness and competitiveness.   For programs whom passed on Anthony due to his mechanics, they missed on a good football player with good size and good athleticism.  All the while, Anthony received active interest from Stonehill, Pace, and St. Anselm among many others.  In the end, Pace made him feel the most wanted and it was his pleasure to stay near home to continue his career at quarterback.

2014 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

2013 SEASON HIGLIGHTS (DEFENSE)

QB GARRETT YOUNG (6'1 185) - TAMPA, FL

Signed with Michigan Tech University.  Very few quarterbacks in Florida came near posting #'s similar to Garrett Young in passing, running, and with their team's win total in 2014.   One area coach remarked to us, "Garrett was the toughest athlete we had to tackle all season."   A teammate of Tristan Wood's at Cambridge Christian School in Tampa, FL, Garrett quarterbacked the team to the best record in school history (8-2) while throwing for 2,313 yards, 27 TDs, and only 4 interceptions.  He also rushed for 840 yards and 17 TDs earning Class 2A Player of the Year runner-up and second team all-state.   Garrett received interest from several FBS and FCS programs at one point or another, but it was Michigan Tech that stuck by him from the start.   After taking an official visit in January, Garrett fell in love with the school and decided to call it home.   We will not be surprised to see Garrett re-writing the record books during his his time at Michigan Tech.

2014 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

SS/OLB BEN MARCUS (6'1 185) - GLEN ELLYN, IL

Signed with Washington University in St. Louis.   An accomplished student-athlete with a 4.0 GPA and 32 ACT, Marcus is a gamer.   Splitting time between safety and linebacker during his high school career, Marcus was viewed as a tweener on paper with his size and speed combined.  On paper, you could not measure his heart nor competitiveness which showed routinely during games as he continually made game changing play after play propelling Glenbard West to 12-1 record.  After making an introduction with Washington University in St. Louis head coach Larry Kindbom last spring, the Bears made a lasting impression on Marcus as he signed his letter of intent with the school despite overtures from several higher level programs.   Marcus has strong blood lines with his brother, Nathan, entering his sophomore season at Vanderbilt University.   We congratulate Ben and know he is on track for a successful future ahead!




We also extend our sincere congratulations to two student-athletes who joined us on our GAIN Sports Bus Tour last summer.   Both are exceptional guys and have bright futures ahead.

QB NICK DUNCAN (6'1 190) - LAWRENCEVILLE SCHOOL (NJ) - signed with Brown University.

2014 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

RB JONATHAN FEMI-COLE (6'1 225) - ST. ANDREWS COLLEGE (CANADA) - signed with University of Minnesota.

2014 MID-SEASON HIGHLIGHTS