Penn State Introduces the Virtual Combine
Since Penn State can't bring high school athletes to its summer camps, the football program is bringing its testing process to them.
Penn State is calling it the virtual combine.
The football program introduced the concept this week as a way to help high school and junior college players deliver uniform, reliable testing numbers to coaches. It's a win for both parties: Players receive an easy-to-use platform to conduct their tests, and Penn State gets vital data to evaluate players that it otherwise might miss.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Penn State has canceled its sports camps through at least June 30, and the NCAA has extended the recruiting dead period until at least July 31. It's unlikely the football program will be able to host summer camps, particularly since the NCAA is moving on a plan to extend preseason camp to six weeks.
Those camps are important for players as a showcase and for Penn State's coaching staff as a place to collect testing data. Recruiting offers generally result from the camps. And the training staff has rigid testing standards that can be applied uniformly at the camps.
The lack of testing data this spring and summer has made Penn State's recruiting evaluations more "tricky," defensive coordinator Brent Pry said.
"We've certainly got a really good pool [of recruits]," Pry said this spring. "There are a lot of prospects out there interested in Penn State and what we're doing. We're trying not to make hasty decisions and still be diligent and trust the process. It's just like anything: a little bit of adversity is an opportunity to grow and be challenged in some different areas, and I trust that we'll work through it the right way."
From that, the virtual combine was born. Penn State compiled a seven-page primer and nearly 40-minute video walking players through the steps of conducting their own combine test.
The primer details the steps for collecting height, weight and measurement data; for running combine drills such as the 40-yard dash and pro-agility test and for filming such tests properly.
It includes a height chart and warmup plans for each test. The guide even includes the proper distance from which to film a weigh-in. One more important tip: Players should perform the tests on a turf field.
Resuming camps and combines is an important part of Penn State's recruiting process. Until then, the virtual combine is the next best option.
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