The CAMP Presented by HUB Football, the brainchild of NFL super-agent Don Yee, is hosting the latest of its free-agent workout CAMPs on Sunday, April 18 in San Diego, and it’s an opportunity for former XFL performers to show off their skills for talent evaluators across the NFL and other professional leagues, including the CFL.
Following their most recent CAMP on March 14, running back Darius Clark, a former standout at Newberry College in South Carolina, signed a contract with the Carolina Panthers.
“Immediately after the workout Mr. Matt Allen (Panthers Director of Pro Personnel) came over and asked how I felt,” Clark recently told HUBFootball.com. “I said ‘pretty good,’ and he said they were going to offer me a contract right (then). I was shocked and excited and didn’t know what to say, so I just responded, ‘ok cool,’ and he said, ‘Are you excited?’ I said ‘yessir.’ I was extremely happy. I just didn’t know how to react because it didn’t seem real.”
The CAMP Presented by HUB Football was created by Yee as yet another pathway for aspiring pro athletes to showcase their talents. Seven NFL teams, including the Panthers, and representatives of two CFL teams attended the March 14 CAMP at Maranatha Christian School in San Diego and a number of NFL teams have already confirmed they plan to attend the April 18 CAMP, slated to take place at Helix Charter High School in San Diego.
CAMPs are designed to mimic workouts that take place routinely at NFL facilities across the country. Players do individual work with position coaches and compete in one-on-one drills. One thing CAMPs aren’t is a combine-style tryout.
“What makes CAMP unique is we put the players through drills that NFL and other talent evaluators want to see the players compete in,” said CAMPs Senior VP of Operations Tom Goodhines. “We don’t run 40s or have guys do three-cone drills. There are other places for players to do that. Our goal is to give the players a chance to showcase their skills while doing actual football work. That’s what the teams are coming to see.”
HUB Football limits its CAMP roster to a maximum of 60 players, ensuring that only the best-of-the-best receive an invitation to participate. They are currently accepting applications for the April 18 CAMP and former XFL players interested in applying for one of the 60 coveted spots can do so via the official HUB Football website at https://www.hubfootball.com/events/the-camp/register/. They can also contact Goodhines at [email protected].
“Once all the applications come in, the hard work begins of trying to identify the top 60 players so we can send out invitations,” added Goodhines.
Since its inception in 2019, a total of 212 players have participated in The CAMP Presented by HUB Football and 43 of them, including Clark, have signed professional contracts after taking part. That’s more than 20 percent of participating players, an impressive number indeed.
Looking ahead, Yee has aspirations of expanding CAMP to a multi-day event similar to the Senior Bowl, but for the time being, the April 18 event will provide yet another springboard for young players, including former XFLers, to earn a pro contract, just like Clark, the newest member of the Carolina Panthers did.
For more information on The CAMP Presented by HUB Football, visit https://www.hubfootball.com.
