Paul Nelson had a calling. His father joined the military. His grandfather joined the military. So Nelson followed in their footsteps. Nineteen years ago, Nelson joined the military, too. He spent the first six years in the Army and the last 13 in the Air Force, working in transportation logistics in the quality assurance and … Read more
Ireland is a long way from Phoenix, Ariz. Five thousand miles to be exact. But that didn’t scare Jerry Vance when he decided to open the first National Scouting Report office not far from Dublin in his native country. “Although I have lived in Arizona for over 20 years and am well established there,” said the … Read more
It was a really hot, August day in Birmingham, Ala. During a mid-afternoon break of the National Scouting Report national meeting, I was chatting with a fellow high school scout when the phone rang. “Alan?” a woman’s voice asked. “Yes, how can I help you?” “This is Sonja Thomas,” she said. Her voice was emotional … Read more
National Scouting Report discovered North Central Louisiana area director Mason Alexander 20 years ago at a baseball showcase in Arlington, Texas. A standout pitcher/outfielder at Longview High School, Alexander had been overlooked by college coaches. He had given up hope of playing in college until an NSR scout introduced himself to Alexander’s father, who was … Read more
What’s the first thing college coaches notice when scouting and evaluating a solid prospect? Athleticism. Second? Grasp of fundamentals. Coaches will tell you that athleticism is perhaps the highest, desirable attribute. And when athleticism is coupled with a great attitude, coaches swarm. But add sound fundamentals to that equation and what you have is the near-perfect prospect, … Read more
Jessica Boulware walked outside her home in Columbia, S.C., to survey the area. The pond had overflowed. The dock was totally submerged. Her car was partially submerged. Her driveway looked like a creek. Water ran under the house. “I feel so blessed,” said Boulware, Central South Carolina Area Director for National Scouting Report. It could … Read more
Bluntly, you are either up here or down there. In college sports recruiting, there is no in-between. In short, high school athletic prospects and their parents can’t survive down there. The only place to be and win an athletic scholarship offer is up here. Enough gobligook. What I am referring to is realizing where you … Read more
In this, the Golden Era of athletic recruiting, college coaches may as well be in a candy store that stocks only their favorite chocolate bar. They’ve never had it so good. Coaches are inundated with info from camps, clinics, combines, showcases, tournaments, emails, texts and snail mail. It is impossible for them to cover it all and … Read more
National Scouting Report football prospect Jack Braymiller received an early birthday present last month. Braymiller, who turns 16 in late October, received the gift-wrapped present with a bow on top during Boulder (Colo.) High School’s homecoming game on Sept. 18. Playing on Boulder’s special teams, Braymiller was positioned on the left side of the line … Read more
Families of high school athletes wanting to take their game to the college level are in a quandary. How do they make a dream materialize? It’s an unenviable position. Once they make their problem public, however, all sorts of help pops up, mostly from sources which have no clue how recruiting works. That, of course, adds … Read more
