Long Island Combine: Where Action is Expected

The National Underclassmen Combine returns to the Long Island Indoor Sports Complex for the second consecutive year this Saturday and Sunday. Throughout the years, athletes have ventured from other instate boroughs, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts to compete in Long Island, as the level of play has consistently been sky high in this always entertaining region.

One of those athletes to take his talents to Long Island was 09' Junior Overall MVP Christopher Brathwaite. In Long Island like fashion, those in the crowd were pumping their fists for the 6'1 253 lb d-end, who dominated the competition en route to earning a scholarship to the University of Virginia.

Wethersfield HS sensation Tyler Murphy came from Connecticut last year, but has every right to have a New York attitude. In winning the QB MVP, Murphy had a 35 inch vertical, 9'7 broad jump, ran a 4.38 shuttle and was an absolute phenom during 1 on 1's. Those who call CT football weak must be  forgetting about Murphy, who is heading to the University of Florida this fall on a full scholarship.

"Long Island, NY and the states north of there aren't specifically known for football, but we always manage to have tremendous players at the area combine", said NUC CEO & President David Schuman. "Braithwaite and Murphy are both excellent examples how elite players don't have to come from Texas, Georgia, Florida or California."

Rising senior Jordan Sebastian, who is expected to return this weekend, fits the bill as well. The Connecticut native earned the Sophomore Overall MVP in 09' and has interest from ten notable D1 programs.  Brooklyn based rising junior Wayne Morgan (Erasmus Hall) is also an elite area prospect slated to further solidify his status amongst the best in the coming days. Although he has only played two years of high school football, Morgan has offers from Maryland and Rutgers, while garnering interest from elite programs such as USC and Miami.

"The more I think about it, the higher I rate the Long Island camp amongst those on the East Coast", Schuman said with a smile.

All athletes will partake in pro-style combine testing, including the 40-yard  dash, broad jump, bench press, vertical leap, and shuttle run along with position specific drills, 1 on 1’s and 3 on 3 competitions. In addition to the elite athletes receiving coverage on Rivals and Espn.com, statistics of every participant will be sent out to colleges at all three levels.

Current 8^th/9^th graders are slated to compete at 8 am and sophomores are set to hit the field at 1 pm on Saturday, while juniors look to make a strong impression this Sunday at 1 pm.

Athletes can sign up for the Long Island combine on www.nationalunderclassmen.com or call 1-888-NUC-MVP1 for more details.