Casino del Sol College All-Star Blog Day 2 by Drew Zamora

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Hello Lumberjack Nation!  I hope everyone is off to a great start in 2012.  The week is moving right along here in Tucson AZ at the Casino Del Sol College All Star Game.  This blog is a nice way for me to reflect on my opportunity and share about my experiences here at the game with some of the greatest coaches in college football and future pro athletes...Enjoy!

We sure aren't in Kansas anymore Dorothy
Nittany Lions, LSU Tigers, and Baylor Bears..oh my!! haha.  It really is a whole other level down here, and the athletes are physical specimen who are very good at what they do.  My Stars (East) team head coach Houston Nutt from Ole Miss is a very enthusiastic man from the south.  He has made it very clear that these practices and game is essentially a week long interview for the National Football League.  I certainly don't feel like a college athlete anymore and am pushing to bring my game to a professional level in front of a large gallery of NFL and CFL scouts.

The Cattle Call
The Cattle Call was on day one where each players height, weight, and measurments were taken in from of a large group of scouts.  Your shirt is off and numbers are yelled out for everyone to make note of.  After this, each player proceeds to walk through the scouts to a back door exit where scouts may be waiting to get more information from them.  My nerves calmed after scouts introduced themselves to me while i completed specific paperwork for the different teams.

Who I've Met
The Casino Del Sol kickoff banquet started off the game week festivities and gave me an opportunity to meet and talk with a variety of people and players throughout the college football world.  At my table sat Head Coach of the stripes team Pat Hill from Fresno State, John Fina who is a Tucson legend and former Super Bowl Champion with the Buffalo Bills, and lastly Coach Ron McBride who recently retired from his increbile coaching career at fellow Big Sky rival Weber St.  It was great to pick Coach McBride's mind about football and took some time to reflect on some very cold and snowny games in Ogden between the Wildcats and Lumberjacks.

Players here at the game have come from all over.  There is not a single bus ride where i haven't sat by someone new and got to know a little about them.  Fellow specialists i have met and spent a good deal of time with at practice is kicker Kevin Goessling out of Fresno St, punter Anson Kelton from TCU, and long snapper Cameron Kastl from Arizona State.  It is true that there is never a dull moment in any specialist group!  A true pleasure to watch and talk to are quarterbacks GJ Kinne out of Tulsa, and Jarrett Lee from LSU. Jarrett will also be my place holder during Monday nights game.  Both men are professionals and are unreal at what they do on the field! 

At dinner last night Brian and I got to talk to defensive back Deshawn Shead from Portland State University.  We talked for over an hour about the Big Sky Conference, games, teams we disliked and wanted to beat most (Montana), and just about fellow players we all knew.

The hype and energy at practice is like one i have never seen before.  It is a combination of tension, skill, speed, and players having fun all at once.  Today was a great opportunity for me to let loose on some punts and kickoffs in front of scouts who lined the field with stop watches.  I found myself in a nice groove and dropped some bombs.  I left the practice field with a confidence i have never felt before and am counting down the days and hours till Monday nights game!

-Drew Zamora