Capital football player Kyle Sosnowski is doing a different kind of summer camping

An Oregon State assistant football coach and a newspaper reporter crossed paths in the Capital High office recently.

Both visitors were on campus for the same reason - senior-to-be safety Kyle Sosnowski.

The interest in the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder with outstanding talent, work ethic and pedigree was just a hint of what awaits Sosnowski this summer - probably the most important months of his young life.

Sosnowski, like many college football prospects nationwide, will spend much of June jumping from school to school for what amount to tryouts - brief appearances at the high school camps run by each college's coaching staff, a new recruiting rite of passage.

Sosnowski plans to attend at least three - and perhaps as many as five - college-run camps in June. Plus, he will join his Capital teammates at a team camp in Gold Beach, Ore.

His goal is twofold: Improve his game and impress the coaches who will decide his football future after his senior season this fall.

"I've always dreamt of playing in front of thousands of fans," Sosnowski said. "It would be a dream come true if I can keep everything up."

So far, only Idaho and Idaho State have offered scholarships, he said. Boise State, Oregon and Oregon State - the three schools whose camps Sosnowski has committed to attend - likely will base their decisions on what they see next month. Sosnowski also is trying to fit Washington and Washington State into his travels. Other schools expressing interest include Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, BYU and Duke.

"All my friends who have been college coaches or still are, they all say it's important to attend those (camps), even if it's just for a day," said Steve Sosnowski, Kyle's dad, Capital's athletic director and a former Boise State football player. "They want to see his work ethic. They want to see how willing he is to step into a situation, how he gets along with people. And they want him to get a feel for them."

Sosnowski's summer includes a chain of camps that will take him from home to Oregon State to Boise State to Oregon to Gold Beach without a break, other than travel time. The scheduling is so tight that he will spend just one day at Oregon State and Boise State and a day and a half at Oregon. He was supposed to attend a Nike combine, too, but had to cancel because it conflicted with Oregon State's camp.

"June is pretty much booked for football camps," Kyle Sosnowski said. "They all put their camps at the same time and they want you to pick their school over the other schools. It's kind of a tough decision because you can't make it to all the camps."

When he's home, Sosnowski is expected to spend his mornings at Capital four days a week for weight training, conditioning and no-pads practice. The team occasionally holds evening 7-on-7 sessions.

Capital takes two weeks off - the first week of July and first week of August.

Capital coach Todd Simis remembers a similar summer for one of his former players, Boise State tight end Kyle Efaw. Efaw's parents used a color-coded calendar to keep his football, basketball and baseball events straight.

Sosnowski's calendar won't be quite that complicated, but it certainly won't feel like a summer vacation.

"It would bother me if I wasn't so much into football," Sosnowski said, "but since I am - I'm really committed to playing at the next level - it doesn't bother me at all."

Sosnowski, in fact, is known for his work ethic and passion. He has worked out up to six days a week this offseason, increasing his strength and speed.

"His level of intensity this offseason has been incredible," Simis said.

Added Steve: "He's always done one thing really well and that's work really hard. He's never been afraid to step into a situation and try to master it."

Case in point: Sosnowski, then a sophomore, moved to safety a couple days before Capital's 2007 season opener. He started and earned All-Idaho second-team honors. He was named to the All-Idaho first team in 2008, despite winter surgery on both knees to repair damage linked to a growth spurt and a summer bout with viral meningitis.

He has 13 interceptions in two varsity seasons and likely will play a role on offense this season. Some college coaches envision him as an outside linebacker.

"There's no doubt he's a Division I football player," said Simis, who has opened a Boise State pipeline with players such as Efaw, defensive end Jarrell Root, wide receiver Geraldo Hiwat and offensive lineman Bryant Thomas.

Sosnowski's size and athleticism easily grab recruiters' attention. He also has good speed, flashy ball skills and an abundant inner drive that pushed him to play through those painful knees and convinced him to practice a couple days after leaving intensive care last summer.

"I think he can master just about every skill the game requires," Simis said. "If we wanted him to be the quarterback, he could probably be the quarterback. É His intensity and competitiveness make him special."