National Underclassmen Combines almost here

January 12, 2010

National Underclassmen Combines almost here

Rivals.com recruiting staff

Talk about it in The Main Board

After a storied 2009, where many of football's future stars honed their talents at one of 57 nationwide events, the start of the National Underclassmen Combine circuit is less than a month away.

NUC event alumnus Joe Haden is one of the top prospects for the 2010 NFL Draft.

"At the NUC our goal has been to help high school athletes ? gain early exposure to colleges and to showcase their skills," NUC CEO and President David Schuman said. "As demand for our services has increased over the past five years, we have recognized the need to expand our showcases to include more cities and more athletes."

The football combines will run from Feb. 6-June 5 in more than 65 locations. This summer, the best of the best will be invited to compete in five Ultimate 100 camps and the prestigious Ultimate 100 Top Prospect camp.

The first combine in the 2010 circuit is set to take place at Apache Junction High School in Apache Junction, Ariz. Athletes in grades 8-10 will compete Saturday Feb. 6, while juniors participate on Feb. 7.

"It's great to start the season in Phoenix once again," Schuman said. "The talent level and overall effort at the combine was sensational last year. I am sure that this year's event will showcase some of our past stars and many future top prospects."

Past alumni from the NUC football events include CB Joe Haden of Florida, QB Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech and hundreds of others who have signed scholarships with FBS programs.

All athletes participate in pro-style combine testing, including the 40-yard dash, broad jump, bench press, vertical leap, and shuttle run. There are also position-specific drills, one-on-one matchups and three-on-three competitions.

Athletes can sign up for the Phoenix combine on www.nationalunderclassmen.com or call 1-888-NUC-MVP-1 for more details.

Click HERE to see the complete schedule of NUC football events.