Players use prep camp to get back on college market
Two months ago, Griffin Duggan and his father, Bill, mapped out their summer travel plans.
They had football recruiting and camp trips set for Virginia Tech, Virginia, N.C. State and North Carolina.
“We planned out certain schools that we wanted to make sure that we visited,” said Duggan, who will be a rising senior at Nansemond-Suffolk.
All of those plans, however, are off.
Now, the coronavirus pandemic has Duggan and other athletes rethinking how they can draw the attention of college recruiters.
Schools — and their playing fields — are closed, and the Virginia High
School League last week canceled all out-of-season practices and summer activities.
“It’s very frustrating,” said Duggan, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound offensive lineman.
“But at the same point, you gotta take it one day at a time and keep hoping there’s a turn with the whole virus situation. I’m just going to continue to work out and get better as if none of this is going on because that’s all you can really focus on. You can control only things you can control, and that’s what I’m doing right now.”
That’s why Duggan and several other high school football players attended the GAME Academy twoday combine prep camp last weekend in Norfolk.
The privately-run camp was created to help football players stay ready, but also learn how to run the 40-yard dash the proper way and how to improve in the shuttle and broad jump.
Duggan has offers from Virginia Tech and Virginia and is also getting interest from N.C. State, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. He is rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports. He also was rated the No. 36 rising senior in Virginia and the No. 104 offensive tackle in the nation. Players at the weekend camp wore masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“I felt it was important to be there because without camps this summer, I’m trying to put myself in the market as best as I can,” Duggan said.
Last season, Demetrius Johnson helped lead Maury to Class 5 state, Region A and Eastern District titles. He was first-team All-Tidewater, allstate and the Eastern District Defensive Player of the Year. Now a rising senior, Johnson had hoped to be conditioning and working out with his teammates and coaches this offseason.
“It’s making my life hard, very hard,” said Johnson, who is getting interest from Toledo, Navy and Norfolk State.
“I’ve been in the house for awhile. I needed to get some kind of work in. It felt pretty good.”
Ocean Lakes teammates David Roulley and Logan Istre are trying to find ways to stay motivated and upbeat.
“It definitely sucks, but as long as we still get work in without coaches and just prepare, we just have to hope for the best,” said Roulley, a wide receiver and defensive back.
Istre said hearing the VHSL news last week was very discouraging.
“I was really, really down about it because especially since they’re starting to open stuff back up,” he said. “I was very surprised and shocked by it.”
“Hopefully, we have a season,” said Istre, a wide receiver. “I’m going to do as much work as I possibly can for that.”