Prep Redzone NC favorites – Camp Edition
The heart behind Prep Redzone is to cover kids at all levels. We strive to give Division III prospects the same coverage we give future Division I players. While we put a lot of emphasis on film and in-game evaluations, we also pay close attention to exposure camps. For us, a good exposure camp is an opportunity to see a large number of prospects at one time, and in a head-to-head setting. Not all camps are the same, however, as some are better than others. While we can’t cover every camp in the country, here are some of our favorites. We’ll update this list as new camps emerge and we get to visit more events.
Carolina Xposure
Carolina Xposure is the brainchild of Coach Jibrelle Fewell and a few of his fellow position coaches in North and South Carolina. Several of the coaches are position coaches at Hough High School and are well-connected in the Charlotte area. One issue that tends to pop up in the camp scene is a lack of premier talent, but Carolina Xposure is the best in the business at attracting top talent that might not even need the exposure. The better the talent at a camp, the better chance a player has of attracting interest from college coaches. If a player stands out at Carolina X, we know they’re more than capable of succeeding at the college level.
EPT Showcase
Typically a bit earlier in the year than other prospect camps (and thus during the recruiting open period), the EPT Showcase in South Carolina is my best opportunity to network with college coaches. In turn, it’s a great chance for players to compete in front of dozens of coaching staffs at once. Like Carolina Xposure, EPT is run by trainers that work with players year-round. This is typically the largest camp I attend. EPT is partnering with Carolina Xposure in 2020 to put on the Carolina eXperience Showcase on July 31.
VTO Sports Camps
VTO puts on several regional camps, combines and an invite-only All-American Challenge each year. Founder Vince Jacobs played football at Alabama A&M and stresses the importance of a college education. The goal of VTO is to give players exposure that they might not get elsewhere and it’s a vision I completely support. Should the 2020 football season be delayed or canceled, look for VTO to have extra camps in the fall in hopes of helping players find opportunities to play at the next level.
Take Your Game to Another Level
TYGTAL has mastered the art of getting as many eyes on their prospects as possible through the use of livestream and video recording. College coaches across the country stream TYGAL camps in the southeast then communicate with the coaches that run the camps with any specific questions about prospects. Like several of the other groups in the article, look for TYGTAL to provide some sort of plan if the season is delayed.
QB1 Athletics
QB1 is a quarterback training group located in Florida and South Carolina. While their primary focus is weekly quarterback training, QB1 puts on a camp at least once a year. While former South Carolina quarterbacks Stephen Garcia and Perry Orth obviously work with the signal-callers, they have guest coaches to work with receivers, defensive backs and running backs. Of all the camps I attend, QB1’s are typically the most “fun” with an emphasis on learning and improving. Still, media members love covering QB1 camps and impressing the media can go a long way towards getting noticed by colleges.