Engagement Insider
MIAMI, FL, April 5, 2014 – There appears to be no limit to the runaway popularity of the NFL PREP 100 Series Presented by Under Armour and the National Guard, as this Saturday’s event in the Miami area drew an overflow crowd with participants lining up before sunrise to participate.
Although the stunning number of over 140 high school student-athletes showing up was not a shocking surprise since Florida is such a hotbed of talent, the day-long event at the Miami Dolphins training facility and a nearby hotel was yet another milestone for the exploding interest in just the second year of the Series.
The event is maxing out since the substance of the program is the difference, emphasizing building better men by teaching academics, leadership and sportsmanship from the different perspectives of former NFL players, coaches, officials, the NCAA, and the National Guard.
Importantly, the education of the parents and guardians of the players is prioritized by having them sit separately through the same rotating morning classes that their sons are experiencing, so everybody is hearing the same message from the various voices.
Staged by NFL Player Engagement and its trademark “Boot Camp” approach, the phrase most often heard after the early-morning orientation is the players saying “yes sir” throughout the day, after they have also been told that there are no headphones, chains, or cell phones.
Former NFL player Eddie Mason, the Director of On-Field Operations who with his coaching staff will lead an afternoon full of on-field training and drills in the Dolphins’ fabled facility, also kicks off the morning with a wake-up call laying down the law for how the day will unfold like a job interview, since players could receive college scholarship offers based on how they act both on and off the field on this day, where faith and character are two highlighted key components.
To get the participants prepared for their day in South Florida, there was a nutrition presentation from both a Gatorade and a University of Miami representative on how to hydrate properly.
Then the players were off to the four separate rotating classroom sessions.
One was a Miami Dolphins front office executive teaming up with a Florida Atlantic University football player and a former NFL player on what the transition is like from high school to college and from college to the NFL, with a strong emphasis on the importance of scheduling studies, classes, practices, travel, and personal time.
There was then an NCAA session, with 13-year NFL veteran Mark Collins espousing the importance of a plan to absolutely obtain the college degree, which you have for your whole life, unlike football.
He was followed by NCAA Assistant Director for Leadership Development Justin Paysinger, who advocated the players identifying their values, personal brand and developing life skills, such as leadership, diversity and inclusion education, community engagement, and wellness.
Another dynamic session was hosted by Stanford graduate and former NFL player Chris Draft, whose evangelical fervor was omnipresent throughout the entire day as he promoted his patented One Plan, to earn a college degree no matter what since football doesn’t last forever.
The fourth morning presentation came from Master Sergeant Daniel J. Grant of the Florida Army National Guard, who discussed the opportunity available through them while highlighting the Guard’s and the NFL shared emphasis on leadership.
After that, it was lunch and a bus ride for players and parents to the Dolphins facility, where they received an afternoon full of drills and competition, including defensive and offensive 1-on-1s, defensive front 7 vs. offensive front 7, Coaches Chalk Talks, an Officials Address/Under Armour “I Will” session, a 7-on-7 competition in 12-minute round-robin games, and offensive and defensive linemen technical development.
Then it was game time, complete with officials and held in another round-robin NFL divisional names format (AFC North, AFC South, NFC North, and NFC South), all mixed in with coaches’ on-field corrections and a challenge featuring offensive and defensive linemen 1-on-1s.
Following closing remarks by Mason, everyone boarded the buses back to the hotel, wrapping up a day where some of South Florida’s top players learned the potential – and proper -- path to the NFL, which starts in high school and goes first and foremost through college and getting a degree.
From here, the PREP 100 Series heads to Dallas and Oakland, before culminating in Cleveland on June 21.
What They Were Saying…
“This was one of the best organized camps imaginable, vey organized and quite an education for both parents and players.” – Parent Mollie Leen
“The whole day was just different and held in a good gear, and a lot of fun where I learned new things in a high-energy atmosphere.” – Reegan Leen and son of Mollie.
“This was a great learning experience and presented in a professional way to maximize the entire day.” – Parent Marcelo Rodriguez
“I really enjoyed it, and it’s my first camp so it was a great experience improving myself, learning about college and academics, and meeting kids from other teams.” – Marcelo Rodriguez Jr., son of Marcelo Sr.
“My son was signed up, but had his broken toe operated on yesterday, but the NFL still let us attend to he could observe and get mental repetitions, which I thought was great.” – Parent Dave Miller
“It was a great day to give back, and help coach up the kids from the other side. Why not take what we learn on the NFL field and leverage here for the good of these student-athletes.” – Chris Crocker, current NFL player training as on-field Official during PREP 100.