UWF Athletics: Senior Bowl providing free local youth football clinic with NFL prospects
The Reese’s Senior Bowl is again providing a unique way to showcase future NFL players in Pensacola.
A group of players in the upcoming game will be at the University of West Florida’s Pen-Air Field on Thursday for a free youth football clinic, along with a chance for the public to meet Reese’s Senior Bowl participants. The event will be from 4 p.m to 6 p.m. at the UWF football facility.
UWF coaches and players will assist Dave Wilson, director of the NFL Flag Pensacola youth football league, along with the NFL prospects to aid with drills and hands-on instruction.
“The goal is really to connect our game to the Pensacola community,” said Jim Nagy, executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl. “Last year, obviously because of Covid, we didn’t have any community service day. This year with the events we have in Mobile the week of the game, it was going to be difficult to bring players over (to Pensacola).
“A great solution is that we have all these players who are training at Exos Training Facility at Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze who can participate.”
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The group of players expected to attend Thursday’s event are led by Boston College offensive lineman Zion Johnson, who is rated as the top guard prospect for the 2022 NFL draft. Also committed is Michigan State fullback/tight end Connor Heyward, the younger brother of Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cameron Heyward.
Other players will be from Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Kentucky and other schools, who are training at the Exos-Andrews Institute.
The NFL prospects in town are getting ready for the Reese’s Senior Bowl week, which begins in Mobile on Jan. 31 through Feb. 4, culminating with the 73rd annual Reese’s Senior Bowl game Feb. 5 at Hancock-Whitney Stadium, the new stadium home of the South Alabama Jaguars.
“I think it’s a really unique opportunity for these kids and meet that next wave of NFL star,” Nagy said. “We have some great players in this year’s group.”
Area youth football players – grade school to middle school age – can participate by contacting Dave Wilson at coachwilson21@yahoo.com in advance to complete a registration form. Registration will be capped at 200.
The previous two times the Senior Bowl has visited Pensacola, the event was at Blue Wahoos Stadium. But with the stadium field under reconstruction for instillation in February of synthetic turf, the stadium was not available.
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“I talk to Jim quite often and he still wanted to have that presence here (this year) and be able to do something for the kids in Pensacola,” said Wilson, who has been the long-time director of the NFL Flag Football program in Pensacola, which is sponsored by Derrick Brooks, the Pensacola native and Booker T. Washington graduate enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“So we started with some ideas and we knew we couldn’t have it at (Blue Wahoos) stadium,” Wilson said. “Luckily, I have developed a really good relationship with UWF and they were all for it. That sort of started things in motion.”
The free clinic at UWF’s Pen-Air Field will be open to the public to watch. The young players will go through a variety of drills and have a question/answer with the NFL prospects.
“It really gives a great example of what hard work and dedication can do for you,” Wilson said. “And I think that’s one of the main messages we want to get to these kids.”
Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Reese’s Senior Bowl Pensacola Youth Clinic
WHO: NFL prospects training for Reese’s Senior Bowl game
WHEN: Thursday, 4-6 p.m,
WHERE: Pen-Air Field on the UWF campus
COST: Free admission, free to youth football players (ages grade school-middle school).
REGISTRATION: coachwilson21@yahoo.com.
73rd Senior Bowl Game: Saturday, Feb. 5 at Hancock-Whitney Stadium in Mobile.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Future NFL stars to visit UWF as part of free Senior Bowl clinic
