When Rivals.com and VTO Sports talked of expanding their Elite 100 football camps, Mike Farrell immediately made Pittsburgh a priority.
"I'm really excited about it because Pittsburgh is probably the hardest place for me to get in this region," said Farrell, the Connecticut-based national scouting director for Rivals.com. "I've always been interested in the Pittsburgh area. It's always been fascinating to me. It's a great place for talent, a great place for football games ?quot; the atmosphere is awesome ?quot; and I've always been intrigued by Pittsburgh because it's a football town."
The invitation-only Rivals.com/VTO Sports Pennsylvania Elite 100 camp comes to Gateway from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, giving some of the top talent in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio a platform to perform before Farrell and Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt.
It's a chance to compete under the tutelage of former NFL players and improve their rankings, thanks to the rare opportunity for the Rivals.com scouts to evaluate players in person.
"I get so much grief from the Pitt and Penn State fans because I can't compete with the rankings of some other scouting services in that area," said Farrell, making a veiled reference to highly visible Scout.com recruiting analyst Bob Lichtenfels, who lives in Indiana County.
"My evaluation is based on film; they've done in-person evaluation, as well. Now, I'm going to be able to evaluate a whole lot more Pittsburgh-area kids."
The camp might not include three of the WPIAL's top prospects, as Central Valley receiver Robert Foster and offensive linemen Dorian Johnson of Belle Vernon and Patrick Kugler of North Allegheny aren't expected to attend.
The Pennsylvania Elite 100 camp fills the void of former staples such as the Nike camp at State College, now that the NCAA's crackdown on skills camps prevents them from being hosted on college campuses.
Farrell said each of the expected 150 campers will be evaluated and that video of and stories on players should provide exposure that could provide a big break for aspiring Division I prospects.
"College coaches can't go to them, but they all watch the videos and read about our sleepers," Farrell said. "Kids get offers out of this. It makes me feel good because I don't like charging kids money. This fee covers the coaches' expenses.
"If someone pays $75 and their kid gets a $250,000 scholarship, it makes it worth it. I hope that's what happens."
