There were two shades of blue on Georgia State’s practice football field Tuesday: GSU Panthers bright blue and Penn State Nittany Lions navy.
In a first for GSU head coach's Trent Miles Football Camp, two major college coaching staffs blended for one high school camp experience.
“It’s not a win-win, it’s a win-win-win,” Miles said. “It’s a win for Penn State, it’s a win for Georgia State, it’s a win for all these young men that were out here that had two Division I staffs working with them to help them get better.”
About 150 area high school football players descended upon GSU’s field early Tuesday morning. Like the coaches, the players were also visibly split, not by school but by age: underclassmen in white and rising seniors in dark blue.
“Obviously our numbers are going to be up. … Penn State’s presence alone will draw more people,” Miles said. “For today, we’ll probably more than double any one day camp we have.”
Miles estimates his usual one-day camps — he’s holding eight this summer — draw about 100 players at a cost of $50 per player. He said about 300 players attended his two sessions with Penn State on Tuesday.
The sessions had drawn a cold reception at Georgia and Georgia Tech, which, unlike Penn State and the Big Ten conference, are forbidden by respective SEC and ACC rules from taking part in such off-campus “satellite camps.”
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Penn State coach James Franklin and his staff casually chatted with parents and players in the parking lot prior to registration.
“They’re not only here to focus on the young men but on the parents as well, just to make sure it’s a worthwhile visit,” said Michael Smith, father of Jackson County High School senior wide receiver Caleb Smith.
During the nearly four-hour session, Franklin worked to foster a positive coach-parent relationship.
“Who should we be recruiting? Do you guys have any recommendations?” Franklin jokingly asked a group of parents seated in folding chairs on the sidelines. “You’re not biased, are you?”
About 20 Penn State staff members were on the field working at the more than eight drill stations. Miles said his entire football staff was also present.
“Most of us have either coached with each other or against each other and we all kind of know each other. We’ve all been on the same level for years,” Miles said. “We all know how to evaluate and see things, so it’s good to talk back and forth. ‘Hey, did you see this kid? Oh, no, you look at this kid?’ And those kinds of things, so it worked out.”
Though Franklin and his staff were the only Division I guest coaches, other coaches from Clark Atlanta University, Birmingham-Southern College, Point University and Southern University were on the field too.
Penn State personnel declined to speak with media.
It’s likely Franklin and his staff already had an idea of whom they wanted to see. Northwest Whitfield High School defensive line coach LaQuentin Taylor was contacted directly by a Penn State area recruiter a few days before the camp, Taylor said.
Penn State requested Whitfield rising junior linebacker Cyrus Addison’s attend one of the two Tuesday sessions. Taylor decided to bring two of Addison’s teammates since he would be making the 1 1/2-hour drive from Tunnel Hill anyways.
“It’s just another opportunity for the kids to get a possible scholarship,” Taylor said. “We’re trying to get them the best possible opportunity. Whether that’s from Penn State, Georgia State or Clark Atlanta, it doesn’t matter.”
After the camp, Addison said he met Franklin after spending the majority of the morning working with a Penn State coach.
“He was giving me help and tips,” Addison said. “He was saying he thought I did really good today but it’s just I was young. I need time to mature.”
After the final horn sounded, players formed a semicircle around Miles while the Penn State staff remained near the back of the huddle.
Once Miles dismissed the players, most migrated to the Penn State staff to shake hands, hoping to establish the connection most of them were there to build.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has plans to bring his staff to Miles' camp next year. When asked if he had any other partnerships in the works, Miles said: "I'd love to do it with Penn State every year. They're a great group of guys and they do a great job coaching."
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