Canadian WR Nick DeLuca blazes trail west at UCLA and Cal camps
Traveling around from college camps to elite positional camps one thing that is a constant among American high school players is the thought and actuality of how difficult it is to land a college football scholarship offer. Playing for a small town school with a lower state classification, working hard for high school coach that does little to help, or not having the opportunity to put together a quality reel can hinder any aspiring prep player from making the leap to college even if the talent is there. The name of the game is just to get noticed.
Now try to do all of that as a resident of Hamilton, Ontario and you have lived the life of wide receiver Nick DeLuca.
By most U.S. standards Hamilton, Ontario is not exactly a small city with a population of roughly 500,000. The trouble with being an outstanding football player in Canada, by most American college coaches’ standards, is the player is from Canada. The imaginary border offers a slew of real problems for coaches and high school recruits alike.
The basics are the same, run-pass-tackle and keep the other team from scoring while outscoring your opponent. Those are the basics, but what most Americans do not realize is high school teams north of the border play by Canadian football rules which means 12 players on the field instead of 11, the field is 110 yards long by 65 yards wide instead of 100 by 50, and wide receivers can have forward progress creating a mismatch for the offense.
The 2014 NFL Draft was remarkable for several reasons but if for nothing else four Canadian born players were selected tying an all-time draft record previously set way back in 2012.
The Baltimore Ravens took Virginia defensive lineman Brent Urban in the fourth round of the 2014 draft with the No. 134 overall pick. In the following round the Ravens went north again selecting Penn State offensive lineman John Urschel No. 175 overall. In the sixth round Notre Dame wide receiver T.J. Jones went No. 189 overall and also in the sixth round the Kansas City Chiefs took McGill offensive tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, No. 200 overall.
Football fans can immediately point to T.J. Jones success as a path for Canadians to follow into NCAA and NFL glory but Jones’ story has a twist. Before landing at Notre Dame the Winnipeg native graduated from high school in the U.S. with a diploma from Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Georgia. Jones helped lead his team to a runner-up finish in the state high school standings after hauling in 76 passes for 1,399 with 18 touchdowns earning All-State honors and All-American honors by various online publications. He also had a standout junior season in Georgia to help put himself on the recruiting map.
DeLuca has the height, 6-foot, the weight, 190 pounds, and the speed, 4.48 forty-yard dash laser timed. Playing for Ancaster DeLuca did as much as he could by pulling down 31 passes for 447 yards with 13 scores. Now all he needs is the American college coaches to take notice.
DeLuca sat down for a one-on-one interview discussing college camps, recruiting, and the tribulations of heading out west to gain attention on the national recruiting circuit for the 2015 class.
Nick, what schools are recruiting you right now?
“America, Cornell, Iowa, and Buffalo have shown a lot of interest.”
What type of feedback have you received from these colleges?
“Iowa said they want to watch me more again this season in person. They said they are planning to come to a game. They also want to see tape of me after my first three games.”
Buffalo said essentially the same thing. Buffalo visited for a meet and greet last season. They also invited me to their camp but the offer came at the same time of the UCLA camp and we had already booked flights and paid for the camp.”
DeLuca continued, “I think there is serious interest there. They seem to be in high need of wide receivers. They might be looking to add three to seven in the 2015 recruiting class. Right now they only have two commitments.”
Nick, you’ve made the rounds this summer visiting a lot of different camps. Where all did you go and how did each camp turnout for you?
“I’ve attended the UCLA, Duke, Cal, Washington, and Iowa camps with Cornell upcoming on July 13… and possibly Yale. I was invited to the Top Gun camp as well. I might go to the final Penn State camp or the final Minnesota camp. Baylor, University of Houston, and Wake Forest camp are all on the same weekend so I am trying to figure out which would be the best camp for me to attend.”
Which camp was your best so far in terms of your personal performance?
“Cal, I did the best at Cal. I was pretty tired by the time we got to the Cal camp after attending some of the other camps but I did pretty good the whole camp. They asked me to stay around afterwards to catch some more passes. I caught everything they threw my way.”
I really liked Washington’s camp and Duke’s. We did a lot of unique drills at the Duke camp. I thought that was a really good camp from an instructional point. I improved a lot from it. UCLA was crazy, the music, the atmosphere got everyone pumped up and going crazy. That was a different experience. I posted a shuttle time of 4.11, the best time recorded at the UCLA (Elite) camp.”
How well did you perform at the Nike SPARQ combine?
“I finished in the top 99th percentile out of all the recruits tested. I ran a 4.48 forty-yard dash, posted a vertical of 34.6 inches, peak power 7060 watts, agility tested at 4.13 seconds, and had a power ball toss of 37.0 feet. Three of the five tests I graded out in the top 99th percentile within that group.”
What schools do you like but have not offered you yet?
“The top schools I would like to get an offer from are Wisconsin, Penn State, Washington, Stanford, and Cal.”
What are the main factors you will consider in choosing a college?
“How much they want me. Academics are important as well, I want a good education. On-campus stadiums, stadiums are kind of my thing. The fan support is big for me. It has to be tough to play in front of a half empty stadium all the time. How often the team throws the ball and how good of a connection I have with the receivers coach.”
How did Ancaster finish up in 2013?
“We ended up second to last out of eight schools. Our team record was 2-5, the year before we had a better team. We lost in the city championships in 2012. We lost a bunch of seniors off that team that hurt the team last year.”
Are you returning to Ancaster this year?
“I don’t know yet. That is still up in the air. I might transfer to a newer school called Canada Prep (Football Academy). They are the only prep school in Canada for football. They have a big defensive lineman (Neville Gallimore, 6’3”, 303 lbs) on the team with 17 offers (Florida, Florida State, Cal, Miami, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, and UCLA among others).
Canada Prep only plays American high school teams, mainly private schools. Last year they finished 3-5 nearly beating Brother Rice (Detroit, Michigan) but lost like 41-38 or something like that. The game, even though they lost, shocked everybody and helped put the program on the map. This will be only the third year of the program. The head coach is ex-Cal alum, Jeff McArthur. We got to tour the facility recently. Coach McArthur is giving us a couple of weeks to confirm, but I think we’re ready to make a decision.
The team is going down to Texas this year. All the games are away games. The set up helps give the team exposure playing against American teams, playing American rules vs. Canadian rules. Field is wider the forward motion leaves a question mark for US coaches.”
Wherever you may play, what are your goals in 2014?
“I want to be the best I can possibly be. Hopefully get some attention and get noticed, earn an offer and help the team win. Some nice highlights would be great too.”
What are your strengths on the field?
“My speed helps a lot. I know everyone’s role on the field. I know the playbook inside and out. I have a knack for getting open. I can go across the middle, catch high passes, and can track down overthrown balls. I have a better than 3-1 ratio of receptions to touchdowns.”
So you can find the end zone too?
“Yes.”
What are your thoughts on your individual performance in 2013?
“I thought I performed well. I was definitely a key contributor to our team. I had a lot of fun. I had two different games with 3 touchdowns. I scored most of the touchdowns for the team. I even recruited guys to come out and play because we were short numbers.”
What is your favorite part of playing football?
“I like the camaraderie with the team. I played soccer for nine years. That is more of an every man for themselves kind of game. The bond and love on the team in football is completely different. The energy it creates, the hype and the atmosphere is great.”
Whatever may be the final outcome of Nick DeLuca’s high school career, no one can say that he and his family did not try their hardest to land a well deserved top Division-I scholarship. The rest is up for college gridiron coaches to buck the trend of ignoring Canadian players and recognize top talent on the other side of the border.