[February 05, 2016]

A Second Chance for High School Football Prospects; Terry Donahue Hosts One-Day Free Combine Feb. 20 in Irvine

On national signing day, Feb. 3, many high school football senior standouts were awarded scholarships to continue their playing careers at the college of their choice. But many more were overlooked for various reasons.

The National Football Foundation California Showcase, hosted by former UCLA coach Terry Donahue, was created to provide players bypassed by Division I institutions an introduction to a school that might want them - and possibly provide substantial financial aid.

The fourth edition of this annual free one-day combine will be held Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Orange (News - Alert) County Great Park in Irvine (5 Freeway at Sand Canyon Exit). Players in California are invited to display their talents in front of coaches and administrators from Division II, Division III and NAIA schools throughout the country, along with statewide junior colleges. More than 70 schools will be represented this year.

The California Showcase is a coordinated effort between the National Football Foundation, founded in 1947 and currently headed by President/CEO Steve Hatchell and Terry Donahue. It couldn't exist without the effort of the many volunteers or the sponsors, which include Bank of America, Farmers Insurance, Toyota and more.

The combine features nearly 100 volunteer "coaches" working with the more than 500 expected participants. These coaches are mostly former college and NFL players.

The morning activities include a series of drills that enable the prospects to display their abilities. Each prospect is assigned a bib number and those who have a grade-point average of 3.5 or better get red jerseys, enabling the college representatives to immediately identify those who excel in the classroom. In the afternoon, players and college representatives meet in a large airplane hangar to discuss, among other things, scholarship opportunities.

Admission to the showcase is FREE and restricted to the athletes, participating coaches, visiting high school and college coaches, college administrators, and the media.

More than 1,500 student athletes participated in the first three California Showcases. Since 2013, 345 high school senior athletes were awarded over $8 million in financial aid packages.

For more information and to register, go to www.CAShowcase.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160205005138/en/

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