Student-Athlete Development

Rising Stars Football Academy

Rising Stars Football Academy Student-Athlete Development

 

Rising Stars Football Academy is the only football camp that incorporates student-athlete development. What is your game plan off the field? What is your plan for the future? Do you want to play football in college and potentially beyond? Do you know how many athletes make it to play Division I, II and III in all sports? Do you know what it takes to get there?

As a high school 3 sport standout Ron Johnson could do anything on the football field, he could do anything on the basketball court, and on the track. One key thing that he was missing and is more important than any sport, was his grades. Often doing just the minimum to get by, he regrets to this day not applying himself in the classroom and not trying harder.

Division I, II and III schools highly recruited Ron Johnson in football, basketball and track. As college coaches saw his low GPA and SAT scores, this left a lot of questions with these coaches as to how serious he was about playing at the next level. Higher offers started to fade and his offers were limited to some Division II schools, and Junior Colleges. At this point he could only blame himself and take accountability for a lack of effort in the classroom and not taking his education seriously.

Former Shippensburg University assistant coach Sean Spencer, (Current Defensive Line Coach and run game coordinator for the New York Giants), and former Shippensburg University head coach Rocky Rees, took a chance on Ron as they knew they could take him under their wings and help get him on track. He would need to work hard in the classroom, make good choices, and make a commitment to his family, coaches and teammates.

Ron Johnson accepted a partial football scholarship as a Prop 48 to Shippensburg University. As a Prop 48, he had to enroll in summer school as a freshman and he could not practice or play as a freshman. He had to redshirt as a Prop 48 and had to meet all of his educational requirements to play as a redshirt freshman. He made key changes and sacrifices he needed in his life, and made the commitment to work hard in the classroom. The rest is history, as he went on to have a stellar career as a 3 time ALL-PSCA Western Conference Player at Ship, and was selected as a Rookie Free Agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2003.

Coach Johnson knows first hand what it takes on the field, in the classroom, and in the community to reach your goals to potentially play in college and beyond. He has helped mentor and guide countless student-athletes over the past 16 years, to reach their full potential and learn how to work hard to become a well-rounded student-athlete.

Each night at our camp, our participants engage in our student-athlete development seminars and workshops. We select guest speakers to facilitate key topics to our participants. The following are some of the topics presented during our student-athlete development workshops and seminars:

NCAA Clearinghouse Rules and Regulations

NCAA Scholarship Eligibility Requirements

High School and College/ Educational Requirements

PIAA Rules and Regulations

The recruiting process presented by our Sponsor NCSA (Next College Student Athlete)

How to create a great highlight video for college coaches presented by our Sponsor Hudl

Mental Health and wellness topics for student-athletes provided by Health Care Sponsors

The Importance of Strength and Conditioning/ Nutrition/ Sleep 

Leadership, Resiliency and other important life skills, social skills 

Pro Day guest coaches and speakers current and former NFL Players

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