FBU Top Gun camp brings more than 1,500 young football players to Naples

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — More than 1,500 young football players from across the country filled the fields at Paradise Coast Sports Complex this weekend, each looking for an opportunity to reach the next level.

The Football University Top Gun Showcase brought athletes from fifth through 11th grade to Naples for three days of drills, instruction and head-to-head competition.

Players earned invitations through one of FBU’s 25 regional camps, with approximately the top 30% advancing to Top Gun.

“This is the cream of the crop from across the country, coming to the Paradise Coast at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex,” said Steve Quinn, managing partner of Football University.

The showcase gives athletes the chance to work with coaches who have college and NFL experience while competing against players they would not normally face during their school seasons.

“You might think you’re the best in your city, but you go up against a kid from Ohio, and he’s pretty good too,” said Brady Quinn, a quarterback in the Class of 2028. “I think it’s a great opportunity for you to come out here and see how you stack up against all the talent from everywhere in the country.”

National recruiting and evaluation services, including On3, 247Sports and Rivals, were also at the camp.

For many players, the goal is to turn that exposure into a college opportunity.

“I think a lot of the hopes and dreams are, obviously, to get to college and go to the NFL,” Brady Quinn said. “I know that’s my dream, and I feel like a lot of the kids out here are just the same.”

Tyrone Howard, a Class of 2027 safety at St. John Neumann Catholic High School, recently committed to the University of Illinois.

Howard said his recruiting process started slowly before he began receiving more attention and picked up his first offer in March.

“I wasn’t on everybody’s radar,” Howard said. “But to come out here and to put yourself on someone’s radar, you never know, because connections can go a long way.”

Howard said his commitment has not changed the expectations he has for himself.

“The bar is set to the roof,” Howard said. “It’s never going to stop, so I just have to keep playing ball.”

Steve Quinn said players from Top Gun could eventually compete at every level of college football. He said the camp is designed to give athletes exposure, confidence and better fundamentals.

“As long as they’re playing college football, we’re hoping, and I think their parents are hoping, that they get a free education,” Quinn said. “That’s the bottom line.”

For the athletes in Naples, every drill and every matchup offered another chance to get noticed and move one step closer to that goal.