Football: California Showcase returns to Irvine

As many as 500 high school football players are expected to participate in the fourth annual California Showcase at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine on Feb. 20.

The free one-day, non-profit event is presented by Coach Terry Donahue, a Balboa Island resident, and the National Football Foundation. It is intended for high school seniors to display their skills to Division II, Division III and NAIA football programs throughout the country.

“It has been unbelievably gratifying to be a part of,” Donahue, the former UCLA coach, said in a release. “Being able to connect high school student-athletes with colleges and the resulting financial aid that emerges is a blessing for all of us involved. We have an army of great volunteers, including the many who coach the players through the various drills. It is highly professional and has gotten better with each year.”

The Showcase will be organized and managed by quality football coaches hand selected by Coach Donahue. A series of tests and drills will be run that will best display each player’s various talents at their respective positions. Following the activities, players and universities will meet to discuss scholarship opportunities for the participating athletes.

Student athletes from across California will register online prior to the Showcase. They must be a graduating high school senior and have not accepted a scholarship offer from a Division I football program.

In addition they must meet following qualifications: one of the three

•Have a 2.5 grade-point average or higher.

•Have an SAT score of 860 or higher.

•Have an ACT of 18 or higher.

In the first three years of the Showcase, 345 students made college rosters and received financial aid of over $8 million.

Last year, 148 players received financial aid (either scholarships, work study, federal aid or a combination of those) to attend college and play football. The value of all financial aid was more than $2.5 million.

There were 47 universities and colleges represented in 2015 and another 12 two-year colleges. “And, we’re expecting a few more this year,” says Donahue.

Admission will be restricted to the athletes, participating coaches, visiting high school and college coaches, college administrators, and the media.

Those interested in signing up can visit: www.cashowcase.org/students.html.

— From staff reports