Recruits keep striving at Laguna Hills gym (photos)

Max Tuerk, Kyle Kelley, Blake Rodgers and Colby Cyburt are four of Orange County’s highest-ranked football recruits. All four seniors are expected to sign letter of intents with Pac-12 schools on Feb. 1.

And if things go according to trainer Chad Smith’s plans, those programs will receive stronger and faster versions of those recruits when the players arrive at their respective colleges.

All four recruits are training side-by-side under Smith’s watch at Juggernaut Training Systems, a 6,000 square-feet, private gym in a warehouse in Laguna Hills.

“My biggest hope for them is when they show up to school … that the coach who recruits them looks at the kid they got and the first thing they think is, ‘Man, I got a way better kid than the one I recruited,’ ” said Smith, who opened his gym in September 2009.

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Under Smith’s tutelage the players work on improving their conditioning, speed, strength, agility and nutrition. They also are scheduled to work with position-specific coaches.

“I want to play as early as possible (at UCLA) … (and) I’m not going to be able to compete if I’m not strong enough,” said Cyburt, Mission Viejo’s left tackle who recently committed to the Bruins. “There are a lot of places (to train) but I think Chad is the best trainer I’ve worked with.

“His routines are different every day. … And the competition here, you’re working out with the best guys in the county.”

Smith, 25, was a standout football at University and later became a two-time NAIA champion in the shot put at Concordia. In August, he set the American record in the squat (905 pounds) for the 308 pound-and-under division.

Tuerk, Santa Margarita’s USC-bound offensive lineman, arrived at Juggernaut just days after the Eagles won a state title December. Rodgers, a Tesoro linebacker who committed to Washington, also only arrived just days after his season ended.

“There are so many four and five-star recruits that when they get to college, you don’t hear anything about them,” Smith said. “They think, ‘Oh, I’m a four-star, a five-star, I don’t have to work.’ … (These) guys aren’t satisfied getting a full-ride.

“They don’t want to get (to college) and be part of the team. They want to get there and be leaders. Having the best work ethic possible is how you do that."

Smith’s services don’t come cheap. He charges $500 a month.

MURPHY: NO MORE TRIPS

San Clemente’s Kyle Murphy, the county’s top-recruit, said in a text message Sunday night that he will not make any more recruiting trips. The offensive lineman visited USC over the weekend. He also has made trips to Stanford, Florida and Oregon.

NOTES

Beckman defensive lineman Khodadod Kia will make an official trip to UC Davis this week. ... Buena Park quarterback JJ Christy has committed to Division III power Mt. Union.