From Gainesville to Coral Gables, the summer got off to quite a start for football prospects this week, and by the time the dust settled, fans, coaches and athletes had the chance to see some pretty impressive talent.

Although the NCAA continues to make it harder for these athletes to get promoted, limiting who gets into one of these camps to write about and push these budding football players, it makes no difference to coaches who have the opportunity to get some of the top talent on their campuses.

Under the spotlight of cameras, fan websites and fans who post all they hear on the Internet, the pressure mounts for a number of high school seniors who read everything and take things to heart.

With college coaches watching their every move, decisions are made at these events that can change lives forever, and although some thrive in the spotlight, others prefer to keep a low-key approach to summer camps.

As throngs of people were watching and talking about every prospect in the state and into Georgia, South Florida quietly played host to two events that attracted more than 600 athletes with little fanfare.

Last week, Damian Huttenhoff and the BCAA held a free weeklong combine for schools in Broward County. This event provided a number of talented young men the opportunity to showcase their talents, as well as learn from local coaches.

From skilled position events at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale to linemen camps at Northeast High, nearly 400 athletes gained an edge on the competition without spending a cent thanks to Huttenhoff and the progressive thinkers at the BCAA.

While the BCAA event was taking place, Twan Russell and the Miami Dolphins Academy held a 7-on-7 tournament at Plantation's Central Park. It was won by Glades Central over Edison, which earned a trip to New Orleans last year.

Glades Central had plenty of competition from Boyd Anderson, Miami Jackson, Belen Jesuit, McArthur, Jupiter Christian and several other impressive teams. Glades Central won and will represent the Dolphins in Minnesota.

CAMP IN 2ND DECADE

One of the most successful summer events in the area is the D1 Camp. In its second decade, the camp attracts an array of talent from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

It is easily the best-run event, featuring college coaches from the Big East, Big Ten and Sun Belt conferences, and coaches from local high schools.

For three days and seven sessions, athletes are divided into groups by position and the action is nonstop. Using the fields at Nova High and having players stay at Nova Southeastern University, this local event provides youngsters with an opportunity to see what college life will be like for a few days -- eating meals together, having meetings and following the rules of early to bed and early to rise.

Several top prospects attended from the region, and all learned quite a lot about the process. The coaches were impressed by the talent, which included defensive backs such as Pastel Francois (Hollywood Hills), Tim Burton (Cardinal Gibbons), Paul Webster (Monsignor Pace) and Tyrell King (Northeast).

Running backs also were on display, with Fort Lauderdale's Marvin Hubbard, Orville Reynolds (Douglas), Jeremy Williams (Palmetto) and Cedric Thompson of Everglades making an impact.

''This is a great event,'' said Williams, who is looking to have a solid season for Palmetto. ``To come here and learn from college coaches from Purdue, Rutgers, FAU, FIU and so many other schools is worth coming here.''

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