Leesville Road football
Leesville Road junior Ryan Mangum (9), who received an invitation to the U.S. Army National Combine in San Antonio, Texas, will compete against some of the most talented football players in the country at the three-day event held in January.
Mangum invited to participate in
U.S. Army National Combine
Leesville junior travels to San Antonio for football showcase
Throughout the season, Leesville Road head football coach David Green often drops recruitment items — mostly letters, brochures and pamphlets — from interested colleges in front of the players' lockers.
Junior Ryan Mangum has received his share, including notes from Alabama and Notre Dame, but earlier this season a package appeared which the Pride defensive back/running back didn't recognize.
"It's usually letters in front of our lockers, but this was a big packet and I wasn't sure what it was," Mangum recalled.
Upon opening his mail, Mangum found out it wasn't another recruitment article, but rather the U.S. Army National Combine, offering an invitation to one of the most prominent and visible recruiting showcases in the nation.
The three-day event, held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, from Jan. 7-9, features 500 of the best underclassmen football prospects in the country.
Essentially, it's a Who's Who of the high school football world. And its list of alumni features some of the biggest names in football, both college and the NFL, including Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and last year's No. 1 overall NFL pick Matt Stafford.
"It's just an honor to be invited and a great opportunity," said Mangum, who accepted the invite. "It's the best in the country, and there will be so much competition, nothing like I've faced before, and I'm excited for the challenge."
Over the course of three days, the event — modeled after the NFL combine — measures, weights, times and tests the underclassmen in front of coaches and scouts as well as the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee. (The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is one of two premier national high school All-Star games.)
It is an excellent chance for Ryan to make a name for himself, Green explained.
"Ryan is already a pretty good football player, and I think this good opportunity for him to showcase his talent, and maybe get a little more attention from colleges," the coach said. "This is just another chance for him to show people on that level what he's capable of doing."
Not that Mangum's skills have gone unnoticed, noted Green, citing the the aforementioned interest from the Irish, Crimson Tide as well as UCLA.
In fact, the junior has already visited Georgia Tech — he loved the Yellow Jackets' game atmosphere — and North Carolina, where his older brother Peter plays.
Although the prospect of competing against the country's best is daunting, Mangum said "it's a good nervous."
And participating in combines isn't something new for Ryan, who has performed well in past events, including the National Underclassmen Football Combine.
"I've done a few and hopefully they will help me going into this one," he reasoned.
Added Green, "This is good for him to size himself up against the elite, and compare himself to some of the other athletes in the country and see what's out there. Ryan is and has been a great representative for Leesville Road both on and off the field, and I think he'll do well."
While the recruiting process can be difficult to maneuver through, Mangum said his brother's experiences have helped him immensely. (After a decorated career at Leesville Road — earning All-Conference three straight years — Peter Mangum walked on at North Carolina. He sees significant time on the Tarheels' special teams unit.)
"Seeing what he went though has definitely helped," Ryan said. "I've seen all the hard work he has put in to get where he is, and I'm just hoping to imitate him the best I can."
The young brother admitted playing alongside his sibling again would be hard to pass up.
"Though I'm pretty much undecided, (North Carolina) would be my first choice just because I'd want to play with him one more time," Mangum said. "We once played one year together in Pop Warner, and I would love to play with him one more year."
