TEAM ILLINOIS - 7on7 Competition at EMU

Congratulations to all the TEAM ILLINOIS (sponsored by Muscle Milk) athletes that took part in the Midwest Elite 7on7 games at Eastern Michigan University today!   TEAM ILLINOIS beat some excellent all-star teams from Kentucky, Michigan & Ohio including two very big wins against Michigan Elite.  Michigan Elite is one of the best teams in the country.  Just recently, they won the Badger Sport / New Level Athletics 7on7 tournament at University of Pittsburgh and were named the top seed from the Midwest/East regions at the national tournament July 1-3 in Dallas (read more).  It was a great accomplishment in the first competition of the season.

Coach TK Ehlebracht stated, “the [TEAM ILLINOIS] athletes with us this weekend not only have great athletic potential but each of them has a lot of class and character which will make them even more attractive to colleges and universities”.



Welcome to the budding world of elite travel football, recruitniks

Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples recently accompanied the South Florida Express travel team, which includes 25 of Florida's top prospects, on an unofficial recruiting trip to a national tournament and four schools in the South.From The Grove to South Beach, Staples got a firsthand look of what it's like to be a top recruit. This is the first installment of a five-part series. read more >

7-on-7 tournaments can be a crucial boost for football players

For those who do not subscribe to offseason 7-on-7 tournaments and other football-related events, maybe you need to see how they have helped North Broward Prep receiver A.J. Sebastiano.

After going to his share of testing combines the past few years and never really gaining much recognition, the 6-1, 180-pounder decided to try out for the South Florida Express, a 7-on-7 team, which has vaulted several top-flight athletes into the spotlight the past two years. read more >

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 >