U.S. National Team Combine

Madison LambertBy Madison Lambert•April 2, 2021•6 Minutes

On Saturday, March 28th, 700 high school football athletes across 46 different states competed at the U.S. National Team Combine at the Cowboys Ford Center in Frisco, TX.

At the Combine, athletes are split into groups based on their playing positions, and participate in drills to showcase their skills and abilities.

24 college coaches were present, scouting out players that made their presence known on the field, and were able to dominate in the different drills.

One of the athletes that not only caught the eye of coaches, but also of the U.S. National football team staff, was Offensive tackle out of Iowa, Kadyn Proctor.  Proctor has received offers from Colleges like LSU, A&M, and Iowa State, and was awarded best Offensive Lineman at the Combine, which secures him a spot on the U.S. National Team.

“It’s crazy man, out of all these different guys and playing from all different states you know, being recognized is hard to come by in Iowa so I gotta make a name for myself” Proctor said.

Cole Hutson, a 6”5, 330 lbs offensive lineman from Frisco HS, is grateful for the amount of coaches that push him to get better, during and after the Combine.  “USA is probably the best thing for connection wise, I think,” Hutson said. “You get to meet so many new people and so many new coaches just come into your life and they just want to accell you.”

A linebacker that proved to be worth paying attention to was Reid Pulliam, a 220lbs, 6’3 linebacker from Life Christian Academy Highschool. After the combine, Pulliam received an offer from Indiana University and Liberty Christian University. Previous to the Combine, Pulliam received offers from Maryland and ECU.

Another player that sparked interest in the coaches and staff was a 2022 defensive lineman, Aisea Moa, an elite 4 star Utah commit.  Moa was awarded the USA Football defensive lineman award at the Combine because of his exceptional skills he portrayed during drills and the one-on-ones.

On the offensive side, wide receiver Joseph Griffin had a great combine. The Boston College commit already came into the combine with a lot of expectations and he did not fail. The 6’4 receiver was catching everything thrown to him. His trip to Texas was a huge success as he went back home to Massachusetts with MVP honors for the wide receiver group.

Highland Park quarterback, Brennan Storer, was invited by the US National team to the Combine and also impressed. He was connecting very well all day and especially with fellow Highland Park receiver Jackson Heis. Storer has received offers from Kansas, Texas State, Kent State, and Illinois State.

The talent was coming from all over the US but Greenwich, CT own, Danny Lauter really showcased his arm Sunday. The junior quarterback was throwing dimes all day and really showing off his arm talent. His great performance gave him MVP honors. Something he’s used to as he has won Gatorade MVP at a Miami camp and MVP at QB universe.

The U.S. National Combine is held by USA Football, which hosts different leagues and training all over the country throughout the year.

USA Football had to cancel the Combine last year due to COVID-19, so getting to start again this year was extremely special for the USA Football staff.

“I got the best team around, my team that I’m with, we’re top notch and there’s nobody better in the world.” Aaron Ingram, the senior manager of the USNFT program said. “They caught me at a weak moment last night when we set wake up call for 4 a.m. and I sent a long group text, I got real teary eyed, and it’s a really big thing for me.”

USA Football has an exciting schedule for the rest of the year. In three weeks, they will be starting their regional event in Houston, which will end in Nashville and then it’s back to Texas for summer events.

Players, coaches and staff definitely left it all on the field on Saturday, and USA Football is looking forward to starting their journey across America to find the next best uprising high school football stars.