Ahmand Tinker knows a good thing when he sees it. In 2006 Tinker, the head football coach at Columbus, Georgia’s Kendrick High School found himself with solid talent on his Cherokees’ team. As spring ‘07 rolled around, he thought that more college coaches should be coming by to see his players and offer scholarships. “I knew that a group of coaches in Atlanta had a recruiting expo, and I got the opportunity to attend and talk to several college coaches about some of our players. After the 2007 season, 17 of our kids were awarded football scholarships and we only had 18 seniors. There is no question that by attending the recruiting expo we were able to get some of our kids a scholarship,” Tinker said recently.

Now Tinker is bringing a recruiting expo to Columbus in order for more high school coaches across Alabama and Georgia to have the same opportunity for their student athletes. “The recruiting expo in Atlanta is a great thing, but many college coaches can fly into Atlanta, visit the high schools and the recruiting expo there and fly out without ever visiting our area. Now we are going to get some of these same coaches to come to Columbus,” Tinker added. And college coaches across the country have responded. SEC, ACC, and Southern Conference schools, as well as colleges from as far away as New York and Arizona have already committed to attend the first annual Scout Recruiting Expo that will be held at The Salvation Army in Columbus on May 1. “If you wait until next football season to contact a college about a kid, it might be too late. Most colleges have already trimmed their lists. They normally do that during the summer at their camps. That’s why we wanted to do the expo now before most high schools have their spring practice. If a college coach is interested in a particular player, he can see him in action in spring practice,” Tinker continued.

High school coaches who attend the expo can bring transcripts, video, and other information to show the more than 70 college coaches that will be in attendance. The cost for the all day event is $100, which pays for two coaches. The fee will include a buffet lunch and admission to a coach’s clinic that will follow the expo. Guest speakers at the coach’s clinic include UAB Head Coach Neil Callaway and Mississippi College Head Coach Norman Joseph. “I don’t believe you can go anywhere else and get this much exposure for your players, a great meal and admission to a clinic for only $100,” said Tinker. For more information or to sign up for the recruiting expo, go to: www.footballrecruitingexpo.com or call coach Tinker at 706-412-3556.