Blake Sharp left Florida with a good feeling.
The Heritage Academy senior tried not to think too much about his performance at the IMG All-Madden Camp in Bradenton, Fla., in July. After all, he has had classes and football to occupy a lot of his time.
But every now and then Sharp would reflect and wonder if he made an impression on the coaches at the invitation-only event.
Sharp learned last month his efforts earned him a spot on the 28-player roster, which was selected from more than 130 athletes representing 30 states.
Former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke, who is now the director of the IMG Madden Football Academy, and his staff of former NFL coaches, selected the team after training players July 29-31 at the IMG All-Madden Camp.
“It is a real honor to recognize a group of athletes who proved their ability in a very competitive setting,” Weinke said. “Our staff was able to evaluate the progression of each athlete through the installation of offensive and defensive schemes and concepts. We challenged each athlete to grasp professional level information over two-and-a-half days, and evaluated how well they were able to absorb the information and apply it on the field. The athletes named to the 2011 IMG All-Madden Team have all put in the necessary preparation to earn success on the field this fall. We”re excited to see them in action, and wish them the very best.”
Athletes were invited to the camp thanks to their performance at one of 16 Under Armour High School Training Camps throughout the country, or a previous IMG Madden camp.
Sharp learned he was one of four defensive linemen selected from his mother, who saw the team posted on the Internet. He also saw his name posted on a Facebook page with the rest of his teammates.
“It is a big honor. I was just relieved to hear my name,” Sharp said. “To be on that roster means a lot.”
Players were selected for their exemplary on-field and classroom performance at the event.
Sharp, who is 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, excelled on the field, earning the Gatorade Defensive Big Man award.
“Blake has the physical stature, athleticism, and body control to be a very good football player,” said defensive line coach Tom Pratt, a longtime NFL coach who has worked at IMG Performance Institute since 2003, in a press release. “His rush techniques are capable of improving to allow him to be a top level pass rusher. He tops all of that with a great working attitude and desire to improve.”
Pratt worked as a defensive line and linebackers coach with the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, and the New Orleans Saints.
Sharp said he learned a lot from the drill work and instruction on fundamentals led by current and former NFL coaches. He said the coaches demonstrated techniques each day that the players had to pick up and then implement in a series of group and individual exercises. He left the event thinking he had done well, but he didn”t imagine he would be honored with a spot on the final team.
“It means a lot,” Sharp said. “It tells me I showed them what I had. It showed me I have a talent I was blessed with that I used there and it paid off.”
Sharp hopes his award and being named to the 28-player team helps him find a place to play football in college. With a grade-point average well over 3.0, Sharp said he hasn”t received a scholarship offer, but he has received correspondence from Mississippi State, the University of Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, LSU, Arkansas State, Stanford, UCLA, and several other smaller schools. He said he would like to stay close to home so his family would be able to watch him play.
“I have heard from a few coaches (since the team was announced),” Sharp said. “They congratulated me and told me they are looking forward to my season. I hope it helps get the word out about me.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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