Coach: 2020 ATH Cam Large A "Team-First" Guy

The adjectives come effortlessly when Panos Voulgaris is asked to describe Cam Large‍.

“Very motivated, ambitious, wants to do everything he can for the team,” the head coach at Noble & Greenough School says of his standout 2020 athlete.

“He’s a team-first kid. He’s physical, plays both ways and will do anything that’s asked of him.”

Voulgaris had heard of Large, who checks in around 6-foot-4, 250 pounds these days, when he took the job at the prep school in Dedham, Mass., after a successful six-year run as the head coach at Episcopal High School in Virginia.

“He immediately stands out,” Voulgaris remembers of his first team meeting. “He was one of the captains, so I got to know him pretty well early on.”

Opponents have gotten to know plenty of Large also as he’s featured on both sides of the ball – at tight end and defensive end – as well as special teams for Nobles.

“He’s excellent in the run game,” Voulgaris says of Large as a tight end. “He understands concepts, can recognize fronts. He’s a tenacious blocker and is also effective in the pass game.”

There are zero issues for Voulgaris in asking a national recruit with offers from schools like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, LSU and Wisconsin among several others to focus on blocking.

“Good kids will do what’s asked of them and that’s what Cam is,” Voulgaris says of Large, who had almost 300 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a junior.

“Like I said, he’s a team-first kid. He’s always going to do what’s asked of him. He knows for the team to be successful, as a tight end, he’s got to be that hybrid guy who is deeply involved in the run game and does what he has to do in the pass game.”

Defensively, Large is difficult to block.

“That’s for sure,” his coach says. “He’ll play sideline to sideline. He’s always running. He’s got a motor. Those are the things that stand out on the film and also make him a lot of fun to coach because he’s non-stop.”

His “tenacity and willingness to play through the whistle” help him on that side of the ball as well.

“He’s physical in the run game,” says Voulgaris. “He’s like he is on offense, he’s tenacious. He’s really tough to block, he draws double-teams. When he has opportunities for the pass rush, he’s certainly the type of kid who will get right after the quarterback.”

While many people, including Notre Dame, see him as a defender on the next level, Voulgaris says he could do either.

“He’s very versatile,” says the coach. “He can be a d-lineman. He could be a tight end. He could do a lot of different things. That’s one of the things that’s intriguing about Cam from the recruiting side of things.”

And he doesn’t have a preference.

“He’s willing to do whatever is best for the team,” Voulgaris adds.

What Large is looking for is relatively simple.

“A school that has strong academics and is looking to win championships in football,” his coach says. “The combination of strong academics, really good football and a coaching staff that is going to really care about him.”

That combination is something that Notre Dame “absolutely” provides, according to Voulgaris.

“Notre Dame is in that column of schools that has really strong academics and is trying to win a national championship,” he says.

“I’ve been in contact with them regularly. They’re really interested in him as a football player and as a person.”

Large has been on the road a bit recently, making stops at Duke, LSU and Wisconsin last month after a visit to Notre Dame back in February.

“It’s about getting the knowledge to make the most informed decision moving forward,” his coach says.

There’s no firm timetable for a decision at this point.

“It’s pretty fluid. It all depends on the information he gathers and when he feels good about making his decision.”