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Ignition paying off for NFL combine prospects
By Joe Reedy • jreedy@enquirer.com • February 20, 2010
Comments (3) Recommend (2) Print this page ShareThis Font size:AA Three years ago, Clif Marshall’s combine training program at Ignition consisted of five guys. This year it has grown to 24 prospects and two locations.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100220/SPT02/302200024/Igniting+an+NFL+shot
With the success of Haruki Nakamura, Connor Barwin and Mike Mitchell, the Ignition program has gained a foothold as one of the top speed camps for draft prospects.
This year Marshall decided to take a gamble that paid off. He expanded the program to a training base in Naples, Fla., where 12 prospects have been working out since January while another 12 have been training in Mason with Ted Borgerding.
Some of those prospects will be heading to the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
“We keep enlarging our territory and it’s amazing to see how far its gone,” Marshall said.
While almost all the players training in Naples are from schools in the north or east, Marshall is hoping that the expansion into Florida will draw more players from Southern schools next year. If his athletes can carry the success of the past two years, he is sure to get more.
In 2008, Nakamura did well at the combine, which vaulted him into a sixth-round pick by Baltimore. Last year, Barwin was one of the stars of the combine and was selected in the second round by the Texans. Mitchell wasn’t invited to the combine but had a great Pro Day workout at Ohio University along with workouts for other teams and got picked in the second round by the Raiders.
Some of the players training with Ignition will not be headed to the combine. Marshall uses Mitchell’s example of how much they can accomplish during their pro days.
Marshall also took a proactive approach to recruiting this year’s class, making contact early and before they selected agents. Some of the athletes chose Marshal and Ignition before Thanksgiving.
Said Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty: “The first phone conversation I had with Clif I could tell how passionate he was not only about the program but making players better. Being down there with some rivals, working with some of best players you’ve been working with, we’re all working toward the same goal.”
Two of the bigger names down in Naples are UC’s Mardy Gilyard and Kentucky’s John Conner, who both participated in the Senior Bowl. Gilyard is thought to be one of the top senior prospects at wide receiver and Conner, a Lakota West grad, is considered to be the top prospect at fullback.
“We haven’t had a bad day out there,” Gilyard said. “Clif is an excellent trainer. Just knowing he took Connor from a 4.6 40 guy to a 4.4 40 guy lets me know that this is the guy I have to be with.”
As far as the overall structure of the program, Marshall hasn’t deviated. He puts the prospects through combine-type drills at the beginning of the program followed by seven weeks of an install period where he takes them through all the drills piece by piece.
In the case of the all-important 40-yard dash, Marshall starts on stance and first step, then goes through the dash 10 yards at a time. The drills are personalized and limited to six athletes per session.
“With 12 guys we break the groups into two sessions. With more individualized attention, I can give them on-the-spot criticism,” Marshall said. “With 20 guys it’s hard to do that.”
Another difference with Ignition is that the program is faith based. There are bible study classes, but it is not a requirement to be in the program. As the Bengals showed this past season in the face of multiple tragedies, faith can go a long way in getting players and teams through tragedies.
Also down in Naples, former Louisville and current Buffalo QB Brian Brohm worked out for a week while former No. 1 overall pick Tim Couch spoke to the group.
The Naples group broke camp on Wednesday. Marshal and all the prospects will reconvene starting Wednesday in Indianapolis where he will rent a suite there for the first time to help athletes continue training.
After the combine, Marshal will continue to help prospects as they prepare for their pro days.
“We had a team meeting to talk to them about having confidence,” Marshal said. “The combine is going to be an anxious time but at the same time that’s where faith comes into play and being able to control what we can. It’s about each guy doing their best and being confident.”
By Joe Reedy • jreedy@enquirer.com • February 20, 2010
Comments (3) Recommend (2) Print this page ShareThis Font size:AA Three years ago, Clif Marshall’s combine training program at Ignition consisted of five guys. This year it has grown to 24 prospects and two locations.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100220/SPT02/302200024/Igniting+an+NFL+shot
With the success of Haruki Nakamura, Connor Barwin and Mike Mitchell, the Ignition program has gained a foothold as one of the top speed camps for draft prospects.
This year Marshall decided to take a gamble that paid off. He expanded the program to a training base in Naples, Fla., where 12 prospects have been working out since January while another 12 have been training in Mason with Ted Borgerding.
Some of those prospects will be heading to the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
“We keep enlarging our territory and it’s amazing to see how far its gone,” Marshall said.
While almost all the players training in Naples are from schools in the north or east, Marshall is hoping that the expansion into Florida will draw more players from Southern schools next year. If his athletes can carry the success of the past two years, he is sure to get more.
In 2008, Nakamura did well at the combine, which vaulted him into a sixth-round pick by Baltimore. Last year, Barwin was one of the stars of the combine and was selected in the second round by the Texans. Mitchell wasn’t invited to the combine but had a great Pro Day workout at Ohio University along with workouts for other teams and got picked in the second round by the Raiders.
Some of the players training with Ignition will not be headed to the combine. Marshall uses Mitchell’s example of how much they can accomplish during their pro days.
Marshall also took a proactive approach to recruiting this year’s class, making contact early and before they selected agents. Some of the athletes chose Marshal and Ignition before Thanksgiving.
Said Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty: “The first phone conversation I had with Clif I could tell how passionate he was not only about the program but making players better. Being down there with some rivals, working with some of best players you’ve been working with, we’re all working toward the same goal.”
Two of the bigger names down in Naples are UC’s Mardy Gilyard and Kentucky’s John Conner, who both participated in the Senior Bowl. Gilyard is thought to be one of the top senior prospects at wide receiver and Conner, a Lakota West grad, is considered to be the top prospect at fullback.
“We haven’t had a bad day out there,” Gilyard said. “Clif is an excellent trainer. Just knowing he took Connor from a 4.6 40 guy to a 4.4 40 guy lets me know that this is the guy I have to be with.”
As far as the overall structure of the program, Marshall hasn’t deviated. He puts the prospects through combine-type drills at the beginning of the program followed by seven weeks of an install period where he takes them through all the drills piece by piece.
In the case of the all-important 40-yard dash, Marshall starts on stance and first step, then goes through the dash 10 yards at a time. The drills are personalized and limited to six athletes per session.
“With 12 guys we break the groups into two sessions. With more individualized attention, I can give them on-the-spot criticism,” Marshall said. “With 20 guys it’s hard to do that.”
Another difference with Ignition is that the program is faith based. There are bible study classes, but it is not a requirement to be in the program. As the Bengals showed this past season in the face of multiple tragedies, faith can go a long way in getting players and teams through tragedies.
Also down in Naples, former Louisville and current Buffalo QB Brian Brohm worked out for a week while former No. 1 overall pick Tim Couch spoke to the group.
The Naples group broke camp on Wednesday. Marshal and all the prospects will reconvene starting Wednesday in Indianapolis where he will rent a suite there for the first time to help athletes continue training.
After the combine, Marshal will continue to help prospects as they prepare for their pro days.
“We had a team meeting to talk to them about having confidence,” Marshal said. “The combine is going to be an anxious time but at the same time that’s where faith comes into play and being able to control what we can. It’s about each guy doing their best and being confident.”