As all-star tournaments gain momentum, 'AAU football' begins

TAMPA, Fla. -- On one field, Miami's Lamarcus Joyner, potentially the most sought-after cornerback in the class of 2010, covered Ace Sanders, a speedy receiver from Bradenton, Fla., in an ultra-intense game of touch football. On another field, Columbus, Ga., 6-foot-7 tight end Brian Vogler ran routes against Port St. Lucie, Fla., linebacker Jeff Luc, whose YouTube highlight video plays regularly in college coaches' offices across the nation.

One Saturday earlier this month at the University of South Florida, more than 250 players from six states gathered for a seven-on-seven football tournament. Their teams didn't represent individual high schools, though; instead, battles raged between all-star teams comprised of skill-position players from different geographic regions hand-selected by independent coaches or writers from Scout.com. In 11 months, most of the participating players will sign Division-I scholarship offers, and for those who follow the NCAA's other big-money college sport, all of this should sound eerily familiar.

"It's AAU football," Brett Goetz said.  read more >