LEAD Prep Academy Hires Former FBS Coach Elijah Sandweiss to Lead International Recruiting

LEAD Prep Academy has hired Elijah Sandweiss as its first Director of International Recruiting, adding a coach with experience under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M, Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, Jeff Lebby at Mississippi State, and Tom Herman at Texas.

Sandweiss will build on LPA’s existing international relationships to identify and recruit players who can develop academically and athletically at LEAD Prep Academy before transferring to four-year college football programs. Among his first initiatives is working with LPA partners to explore a potential game for the Kings in Europe.

A native of Ann Arbor, Sandweiss began his career at Michigan and most recently coached linebackers for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Now back home in Michigan, he is bringing that experience to LPA.

“It’s good to be back,” Sandweiss said.

LEAD Prep Academy Athletic Director Eric Figurski said the program’s long-standing international relationships through the LEAD Foundation, Legacy Football and LPA staff provide a strong foundation for the new role.

“Our recruiting will always start with Michigan, then search nationally, and now internationally. Coach Sandweiss is the perfect fit for this role. He is an organized worker, experienced evaluator of talent, and a proven recruiter with established FBS relationships. He’s hit the ground running to establish some strong recruiting pipelines designed to elevate our roster and entire program.”

One way Sandweiss is working to strengthen those pipelines is by bringing LPA overseas for a game. The proposed European game would combine competition with a cultural immersion trip for players and families while putting the program in front of international recruits and their coaches, similar to the FBS version with the Kickoff Classic that has been played in Ireland in recent years.

“It would be more than just a game. It would be an experience,” Sandweiss said. “It checks a lot of boxes and makes a lot of sense.”

Additional details will be announced as plans develop.

At Michigan, Sandweiss helped Harbaugh with the Wolverines’ preferred walk-on program. About 15 to 20 players joined each year, with some going on to earn scholarships, become starters and play in the NFL. That experience identifying and developing overlooked players aligns with LPA’s approach locally, nationally and internationally.

“Similar to overlooked players that we recruit to LPA from the United States, there’s a huge layer of people playing the game of football internationally that aren’t talked about, aren’t seen, that would be able to come and play American football on scholarship at a variety of levels,” Sandweiss said. “That market is kind of untapped.”

His approach will start with building relationships with the coaches, trainers and developmental programs who know those players and can help identify the right fits for LPA.

Canada will be an early focus, given its established pathways into American prep, college and professional football.

“That’ll be a very easy entry point into the global market,” Sandweiss said.

Europe is another priority, particularly Germany, Denmark and Austria.

“There’s a demand for them to come to the States, and there’s a lot of kids that are still flying under the radar,” he said.

The search will also extend to developing football markets in the Caribbean, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Africa.

“It can go wherever there’s developing markets of football, really all around the globe,” Sandweiss said.

For Sandweiss, the work comes back to the part of coaching he has always valued most.

“You’re trying to help someone individually go from point A to point B in their career,” he said, “and make them a better football player and hopefully a better person.”