Camps Signal NE Culture Change

3 comments so far June 13, 2007 by Darren K. Carlson

Summer football camps have always been important at Nebraska. They introduce kids to the game, and teach fundamentals. They establish relationships with both young players and their coaches, a key element in recruiting. They bring off-season revenue to both the school and the coaching staffs. And, the more recent additions to NU's camp offering also signal something a little more subtle but very important - a continued shift in the way offensive football is viewed and played at the high school level in the state.

NU's camps have never been bigger or more varied. All told, they are hosting more than 2,000 campers this June. The participants range from 2nd graders just discovering the game to the very best high school football prospects. They offer a youth session, two general high school sessions, a kicking camp, a quarterback academy, and now, a Run-N-Gun (7-on-7) tournament.

Hearing the names of those last two camps listed still gives this option-loving fan some pause. The QB academy is something the current staff installed right away when they arrived. It is to signal to big-shot QBs around the country that NU is serious about pro-style quarterbacking, and wants to lure them to NU. That makes sense. But, it also helps local coaches teach passing better and makes local quarterbacks more equipped for college, wherever they may go.

Taking their instruction, ideas and cues from the Big Red in Lincoln, many high schools in NE rarely threw the ball more than 10 times a game in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of the best schools in the state (Lincoln Southwest, Millard North) are still very much option-football oriented. So this shift is significant. I believe that passing - and the development of passers - will slowly develop into a trend in NE. And that is something I expect to accelerate because of NU's latest offering, the team passing-game tournament.

7-on-7 football tournaments used to be something reserved for the sun-filled states where football is played year round. Apparently, that is no longer the case. NU apparently wants Lincoln to be a sort of football Mecca. And that means getting into the Run-N-Gun gig, big time.

While the main thrust of this year's Run-N-Gun tournament is aimed at luring players and teams from around the country, I don't doubt it will serve as another catalyst to more pro-style football in NE. Coaches and administrators have said the emphasis will be on the competition and teaching some fundamentals, and not on installing a passing offense for a team. And while many run-oriented teams in NE may not be warming up right away, NU has a response for that.

NU AD for football Tim Cassidy recently told the Omaha World-Herald - "The immediate response we had from some option-type teams was, 'Hey, we don't throw the ball much,'" Cassidy said. "We said, 'Well, you defend the ball, and you're going to play a passing team somewhere along the way.'

At the end of the day, players, coaches and the football-loving fans of NE are slowly, surely being more exposed and educated in the nuances of the passing game. With knowledge comes understanding. And understanding breeds greater commitment and caring. So, from Saturdays in the Fall to summer-session learning, the transition digs in to a deeper level.

What's next? On playgrounds this September, you may expect to hear a 2nd grader pretending to be Nate Swift on a "skinny post" rather than Doug Dubose taking the option pitch.

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