New Jersey College Esports Combine Produces 181 Scholarship Offers for Student Gamers

Brookdale Community College hosted the nation’s first College Esports Recruitment Combine on Feb. 7. The event connected more than 12,000 student gamers across 400 New Jersey schools to scholarship opportunities and career paths. Programs made 181 recruitment offers. The average esports scholarship? $12,000.

College programs reported more than 250 recruiting conversations with students and families during the combine, and more than 90% of participating programs identified players capable of succeeding at the collegiate rank.

Garden State Esports presented the combine at Brookdale’s Esports Arena in Lincroft, bringing together Brookdale Community College, Camden County College, and Stockton University to build a statewide pipeline for student gamers who want to compete and learn.

“The Combine felt like a true next step in scholastic esports,” said Chris Boehmer, Director of Brookdale Esports, according to The Monmouth Journal Eastern. “It was an event you can only envision as a lofty goal in the start-up process, and to see it come to fruition with such passion and execution from all angles was something special.”

Stockton University awarded transfer pathway scholarships to all Brookdale Community College production students participating in the Garden State Esports initiative. The school extended on-the-spot admission offers to seven students, including caster and player Jayden Steffanelli from Barnegat High School. Stockton also gave full scholarships to nationally-ranked Rocket League players Ayden Abrams and William Kehlenbeck from Seneca High School.

St. Francis College in New York awarded five GSE student shoutcasters $18,000 scholarships each as part of a new esports program for broadcast and production paths, extending opportunities past competitive rosters to include broadcasting, media production, IT, and other technical careers.

Coaches evaluated players in person instead of relying on online scouting, watching communication, teamwork, decision-making, and coachability in real time.

“This wasn’t just about gameplay,” said Chris Aviles, founder of Garden State Esports. “Colleges were able to see who these students are — how they communicate, adapt, lead, and handle pressure. That’s what turns interest into opportunity.”

Garden State Esports plans to host the College Combine each year. The organization supports hundreds of middle schools, high schools, and colleges while engaging more than 12,000 students each year, and a similar percentage of programs said they plan to recruit at future GSE events.

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