Before you load up the car, pay the registration fee and head to the next football camp hoping your child gets “discovered,” stop and ask yourself one simple question: What’s the plan?
For parents of aspiring college athletes, camps can feel like golden opportunities—but without a clear plan and the right approach, they can quickly become expensive, exhausting and ineffective.
“Recruiting must be a team effort,” said Domonique Johnson, an assistant football coach at La Porte High School. “It must involve the athlete, the parent and the coach.”
And that team needs a game plan long before cleats hit the turf.
Nearly every parent asks when to start attending camps, but there’s no universal answer.
“I don’t have an easy answer to that,” said Prairie View A&M University assistant Coach Brandon Andersen. “As a freshman, you can learn a lot from camps. You’re getting to compete, which is always good. As a sophomore, I think you’ll start to get noticed by bigger schools. As a junior, I think you’ll get more of the FCS, G5 and D2 attention.”
Durand Smith, father of junior Westfield linebacker Davon Smith, agrees that early exposure is important, but for a different reason.
“Younger kids should go to a few camps so they learn how to camp,” said Smith.
Smith began having his son attend camps in the eighth grade, focusing on learning what to expect later once in high school. Learning how to camp is a skill in itself—something many athletes overlook until it’s too late.
Before registering for any football camp, parents should pause and consider three critical factors that can make or break their athlete’s experience: Who will be there, where it’s held and what type of camp it is.
First, evaluate your athlete by taking a close look at the schools expected to attend the camp. If a camp doesn’t have college coaches present, particularly from programs your athlete is targeting, it may not be worth the investment. Exposure only matters if the right eyes are watching.
Next, consider the camp’s location. Camps in larger recruiting hotbeds like Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio tend to draw more talent and more college coaches. These cities naturally offer deeper talent pools and greater competition, which often leads to increased attention from recruiters looking for elite prospects. Don’t shy away from going to smaller school camps that may offer more opportunities for your athlete to get reps.
Finally, understand the type of camp you’re signing up for. Not all camps serve the same purpose. Prospect camps, typically hosted by colleges, are designed for athletes who are actively seeking scholarship offers. Mega camps bring together dozens—sometimes hundreds—of coaches in one place, but they also attract massive numbers of players, making it harder to stand out.
Then there are skill development camps. These focus less on recruitment and more on building fundamentals, techniques and positional mastery. They’re especially beneficial for younger athletes or those still refining their game.
Hard Truths and Missed Opportunities
Domonique knows the highs and lows of camp life all too well. His son, Marquis Johnson, an explosive athlete with jaw-dropping speed, once missed a scholarship offer from Marshall because he skipped school the day the coach visited.
“I was sick to my stomach,” Domonique recalled. “Like I let him down.”
Still, that lesson turned into a turning point. The next summer, his son attended mega camps at SMU and TCU—only after he’d learned how to dominate a camp.
The result? Twenty-three offers in one weekend.
“My son had learn how to camp. Don’t just stand around watching, cut others in line, be eager to learn, be aggressive, show you have the stamina and the dog in you to get repeated reps,” said Domonique.
Marquis became a textbook example of what it looks like to camp the right way. As a junior, he picked a camp that aligned with his goals and had the measurables to back it up. He stayed aggressive throughout, maximizing his reps and drawing more attention from coaches. He showed a genuine eagerness to learn and instead of leaving once drills ended, he stuck around to network, leaving a lasting impression that went beyond the field.
“Darrell Dickey (former Texas A&M offensive coordinator) saw him and put him in the ‘elite’ group. He got 10 one-on-one reps each day at MEGA camps and left that weekend with 23 offers,” said Domonique.
Travis Johnson, another coach and parent, summed it up clearly: “Nobody cares that you work hard, you’re a dawg, or what kind of stats you have. Measurables, athleticism and speed matter.”
The Bottom Line: Know Your Athlete, Know Your Strategy
“If he doesn’t have a skill or measurable that sets him apart from the rest,” said coach Will Coleman, “it won’t matter what camp he goes to.”
College camps hosted on campus still offer the best chance at real evaluations. But every parent should enter this world with clarity, realism and an understanding that camping isn’t just about being seen—it’s about standing out.
So before you hit the road, ask yourself again: Are we ready—or just showing up?
