Rising football stars shine in The Real McCoy Exposure Camp

With the spring football season right around the corner, West and Southwest Orange football players are putting in the work over the weekends to place themselves in top shape for when Friday night lights rolls back around. 

The Real McCoy x Shuler Elite Exposure Camp, which is hosted by former University of Florida and Louisville offensive lineman TJ McCoy and designed for current eighth-graders to juniors, came to the Orlando area Sunday, March 15. 

Players tested their 40-yard dash times and verticals and had their height and weights measured before beginning the shells camp with position-specific training, followed by 7-on-7 drills. The camp also gave awards to the MVP for each position. 

West Orange High’s quarterback AJ Chung and running back Jayden Ammons, Ocoee High’s Nathaniel Watkins III and defensive back Trey Taylor were selected in the top five in their respective positions from the camp. 

“It was definitely a great opportunity to be able to compete with the great players out here,” Chung said. “It put West Orange on the map, shows that we have talent, and it was great to have the opportunity to compete against and see more quarterbacks that we compete against on a daily basis. It was a blessing to be able to be selected as one of the top QBs.” 

Chung was named the overall MVP of the camp. In his sophomore season at West Orange, he threw for 2,936 yards and 41 touchdowns. The rising junior already has offers from the University of South Florida, Arkansas and more, and he’s well on his way to continue right where he left off. 

Watkins is a new face to the West Orange area. He transferred from East Ridge High to go to Ocoee, which was on the hunt for a new QB after Tyson Davidson graduated. In Watkins’ sophomore year, he recorded 229 yards and four touchdowns. 

Also on the QB side, Horizon High’s rising sophomore Quincy Darling showed out at the camp. Horizon lost its all-around athlete Kaio Olivera, who is graduating in May, and Darling now is in the position to become a starting player on the Hawks’ roster. 

“I learned a lot today about coverages, what to do, what happens in certain coverage and how to react, not to be so robotic,” he said about the camp run by former NFL and CFB players. “I put all the work in already, so I have to trust myself more than what I already do.” 

The Warriors’ Ammons said it was an honor for him to be selected as a top RB and to compete at the camp at a high level against top defensive lineman and players. He’s a rising senior on the Warriors’ field, and he recorded 738 yards on 155 carries with 12 touchdowns. Ammons has received offers from Florida Atlantic, University of North Carolina at Pembroke and the University of Rhode Island so far, and will continue to work toward his college goals.

“For the season it makes me feel very comfortable with my team and form a better brotherhood because now we got to talk in this camp, now we can go outside of camp and get more reps together so we can form that bond and get our timing right,” Ammons said of him and Chung being top players.