We are in the Boston area this summer for a academic camp for an older brother and we have a rising 9th grade QB. Yes I know the advice is we’re largely wasting our time at these camps as the coaches only focus on 11/12th graders but like I said we’re there anyway and it’s something to do and yes maybe there’s a chance a coach starts following him. That being said, the MIT and the Harvard camp are on the same day and I don’t know which to choose.
From what I read Harvard is more of a mega event and there’s a ton of D1 type kids there so 99% chance my son goes unnoticed, but gets to say he did it, and that’s it. MIT obviously is not a powerhouse football program so my thinking is he’d have a better shot of being noticed and having a better time there.
I’d appreciate any opinions here if possible. Thank you!
It really doesn’t matter. Like you mentioned previously, they’re pretty much a waste of time. It’ll have zero bearing on whether he gets recruited as an athlete or receives general admission in three years.
He probably gets more reps at the MIT camp, so as a younger guy who assumedly is not a true athletic outlier (meaning he is not likely a four or five star athlete down the road), I would probably lean that way. Either way, he is likely to be out classed by the upperclassmen who will be competing that day.
FWIW, I don’t necessarily agree a camp would be a waste of time. I think the purpose of any camp at your son’s stage is to show him the level of the kids he eventually will be competing against. If you keep that as a focus, rather than the idea that a camp this year directly leads to serious recruiting interest, then he and you can learn a fair amount.
Don’t spend the time or money if the purpose is to think your son will get noticed as a 9th grader. Where the camps are valuable for sophomore/freshmen is that it gives your kid reps and experience on how these camps work and what coaches are looking for. It also gives you a realistic benchmark to see where your kid stands, especially if you come from a smaller school environment where the competition and talent is more limited.
Thanks to all of you for responding. This helps a lot. I think going into this experience with your mindset makes a lot of sense. I may go with Harvard then since like you said it’s more about learning and seeing the experience than actually trying to get reps and get noticed. Thanks again.
I don’t think camps are a waste. If you can afford them, both in time and money, it at least shows the kids how camps work, what the campus is like, what the food is like, how cool the college students are.
My daughter went to a 3 day camp when she was in 7th or 8th grade. She got to sleep in a dorm, go swimming in the college pool, walk around the campus, etc. We lived about 5 miles from the campus and she’d been there a million times for school vacation camps, gymnastics lessons, birthday parties, skating, attending hockey games, but this was her time ON HER OWN to pretend to be a college kid (as a 12 year old). She also got a lot of attention from the lacrosse players and coaches.
My kids also went to band camp on a college campus. Just another experience and introduction to a campus.
Can I ask, as he’s a rising freshman so youngest possible, is it more likely he could be injured at a camp with a bunch of D1 men vs boys?? I don’t know anything about football but maybe a consideration. Isn’t the quarterback the one everyone’s trying to hit? ?
My son went to the Harvard camp last summer and the environment was very exciting because they hold the camp right in the stadium. As for getting noticed, you never know! Since he’s already so tall as a freshman, I’ll bet they will pay attention to him. They weigh and measure them at the camp too as well as physically test them in various ways: bench press, how far they can jump, how well they can squat down and come up, 40 speed, etc.
MIT is more open and collaborative than Harvard. Harvard is more individualistic, based on an experienced posted on tedook.com. Both are humongous prestige and facilities.