The National Specialist Showcase features the nation’s hungriest middle school & high school kickers, punters and long snappers. All are set to compete on large national state created by Footballhotbed.com and its 1 Million audience member Social Media reach that is accented by the over 100 college coaches from Division I, FCS, Division II, NAIA and JUCO that follow us on social media.August 15th, 2020 from 3:30 PM to 7 PM. Those who do perform well will receive invitations to our Middle School All-American Game and National High School Showcase games for Freshman, Sophomores and Juniors. Events will take place in Johns Creek, Georgia at Mt. Pisgah Christian School.
EVENT INFORMATION
The Ft. Lauderdale Camp Series Specialist , July 2020
2022 K Will Bettridge of Gulliver High School in Miami, FL was the 2019 MVP of the Specialist Showcase
2018 MVPs, including Middle School MVP David Vadala, headed to Cardinal Gibbons. Coach Jose Borregales of FIU (hooded cap) was a Lou Groza semi-finalist in college football during the 2018 season. He returns to coach this year’s showcase in July.
Everest Ferrell ‘22 K/P MVP of Ft. Lauderdale Event in July 2020
2018 participant and 2019 player-coach, 2021 K Andres Borregales currently is committed to the University of Miami.
WHATS DIFFERENT ABOUT US?
The National Specialists Showcase is an off season showcase designed to help determine how strong a specialists skills are in critical areas despite ranking by any other kicking agency. There are no requirements to attend other events to be ranked high or and qualifiers. It’s an open competition designed to test the mettle of specialist who aim to kick in college. It’s the only kicking competition in the country run by actual college kickers who are currently on scholarship or who have recently graduated. This ensures that all attendees are training and competition with the most up to date specialist drills possible.
Increasingly, these off season evaluations and camps are being weighed heavier in the recruiting process. It’s like taking a standardized academic test. While they aren’t the true measure of ability, they are a good indication and colleges, recruiting services and scouts are using them to draw conclusions about your athlete.
Overall, the opportunity to compete with some of the best athletes in your high school graduation class and earn the title of best at your position is a resume boosting experience that can empower young athletes with confidence.
HISTORY OF FOOTBALL HOTBED
Since 2014, Football Hotbed has created four national showcase platforms with youth football athletes in mind. The goal is to provide exposure, empower each athlete with metrics of their performance ability and create a competitive environment that produces improvement and provides a measuring stick for future success.
EVENT
Athletes will participate in the following: SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
SEE MEDIA SECTION BELOW FOR VIDEO COVERAGE OF THE EVENT
August 15, 2020
Kickers
Punters
Long Snappers
Check In
3:30 PM
3:30 PM
3:30 PM
Pictures/Media
4 PM
4 PM
4 PM
Warm up
4:30 PM
4:30 PM
4:30 PM
Charting: Kick offs
4:45 PM
4:45 PM
Punts
Charted Snaps
Field Goals
Elimination Kicks Begin
Dismissal
by 7 PM
by 7 PM
by 7 PM
Your OFFICIAL INVITE serves as an ‘offer of invitation’.
HOW DOES THAT WORK?
The same way college offers work. They are committable as long as your spot is available. To accept your offer, pay your registration fees to attend the event. If the offer is not accepted, the spot in the competition will be offered to other deserving athletes. Space is limited and once the numbers are reached, the competition will be closed, even for athletes who have previously been offered invitations.
TO REGISTER scroll down below…
There are NO REFUNDS. Please be sure to check the dates, time off from work and school and other events before accepting and invite and registering to attend. All those who do not attend after paying will receive credit with Football Hotbed for future events or toward apparel purchases.
To Reserve a Hotel
Travel, Meals and Lodging is the responsibility of every family to provide these for each attendee.
Each athlete must be accompanied by an adult 25+ of age.
Brandon Odoi is a tenured journalist. He's covered youth football since 8th grade, high school football since 2009 and began covering college football in 2011 as a beat writer for the University of Miami Athletic programs. In 2011, he founded Football Hotbed a national multi-media platform for football across the country. He's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and spent his first five years as a professional working at ABC Television Network, ending his career as a producer in Miami. He's married with two sons and resides in South Florida.
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Green Bay, WI- This April’s 2025 NFL Draft was an amazing experience for many student-athletes who spent time on the Football Hotbed Showcase Platform in either middle school or high school. It was a time to finally fulfil a dream and hear their names called. Overall, six student-athletes who had affiliation with this platform were drafted. This year’s highest Hotbed World pick was taken in the 2nd Round as Jayden Higgins (Miami, FL) who attended Iowa State was taken with the 34th pick of the draft by the Houston Texans. Higgins was a participant in the National High School Showcases, Junior game during his time in high school with the graduating class of 2021. The elite wide receiver began his college career at Eastern Kentucy (FCS) and then went to Iowa State in the transfer portal where he spent the final two years of his career. While in Ames, he put up great statistics during his time, finishing his career among the school’s single-season leaders with 87 receptions (2nd all-time) for 1,183 yards (3rd) and nine touchdowns (T-2nd) … ranked 10th nationally in receiving yards, 14th in receptions per game (6.7) and 20th in receiving TDs.
In the 5th round, Jalen Rivers, an offensive lineman at the University of Miami was selected by the Cincinnati Bengles. Rivers was a participant in the first ever Middle School All-American game in his hometown of Jacksonville, FL. The game was played at Bolles High School, and he played Offensive lineman in the 7th grade All-American game. Rivers was a plug-and-play starter at Miami, being a big part of the reason the team went 10-2 in his final season. Rivers was joined in the fifth round by Elijah Roberts of Southern Methodist University who was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Roberts, a defensive tackle out of Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School, began his career at the University of Miami with Rivers but later transferred to SMU where he collected 10 sacks in his junior campaign. Roberts was a participant in the 3rd Annual National High School Showcases, Junior game during his time in high school with the graduating class of 2020.
In the 6th Round, Andy Borregales, of the University of Miami was selected with pick 182 by the New England Patriots. Borregales was the first ever MVP of the National Specialist Showcase held by Football Hotbed for three seasons beginning in his 8th grade year. Borregales was a Groza semi-finalist his senior year and left Miami as the school’s overall points leader, a record that will likely stand for quite some time as he was the starting kicker for four consecutive years following his brother Jose.
In addition, a very cool thing took place in this April’s draft, two National Middle School Challenge bloodline members were taken back-to-back! Aeneas Peebles (Durham, NC) of Virginia Tech via Duke, who participated in the 2nd Annual National Showcase was taken with the 210th pick by the Balitmore Ravens and Texas Longhorn offensive guard Hayden Conner was taken with the 211th pick by the Arizona Cardinals. Conner was a participant in the 3rd Annual National Lineman Challenge, the first year it was held at the University of Miami in tandem with the National Middle School Invitational Showcase.Here’s more on Peebles, who starred at Duke before transferring to Virgina Tech in his final year of eligibility. Overall, he tallied 31 tackles (11 solo), including 6.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks … registered three pass breakups and four QB hurries … earned a 90.3 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus … led all ACC defensive tackles and ranked fifth in the nation at his position with 35 pressures … had a season high five tackles at Vanderbilt (Aug. 31) and again vs. Rutgers (Sept. 21) … named All-ACC First Team
Hayden Conner (Katy, TX), a National Middle School Lineman Challenge bloodline member was drafted in the 6th Round by the Arizona Cardinals. Earlier this year in January, he played in his second consecutive College Football Playoff. Connor helped lead his team to a one-loss regular season and a College Football Playoff birth in 2023 and another stellar record in 2024. Hayden was offered by then University of Miami head coach Mark Richt after his performance at the National Middle School Lineman Challenge. It was his first division I offer in 8th grade.
2024 NFL Draft - Hotbed world alumni
2023 NFL Draft - Hotbed World Alumni
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Miami, FL-The Florida International University football program played their first spring football game intra-squad scrimmage Saturday under first year head coach, Willie Simmons. The game was a defensive battle, ending in a 7-2 win for team Navy. There were several stand out defensive performances including a two-interception day for defensive back, Victor Evans II. Overall, the day was marked with increased excitement and energy as the Simmons era of FIU football officially got under way. “Football’s fun again,” Keegan Davis said with a smile on his face after the spring scrimmage.We’re bringing back that swagger, that 3-0-5- mindset. “Our mentality is, see ball, get ball. We just play our gaps and do whatever is expected of us.”There were over a thousand people in attendance at the spring scrimmage, a bustling crowd for a very fickle fan base that has only seen one season of .500 since football began in the early 2000s. Coach Simmons history of winning has many Miami area fans excited about the teams prospects this spring. Things get rolling on August 29th at home again Bethune Cookman. Kickoff is a 7 p.m.
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Duluth, GA— Spartanburg, South Carolina’s 2027 running back Trenton Lynch ran for two touchdowns and Miami Gardens, Florida native, Angelo Smith of Chaminade Madonna High School added a pick-six touchdown and a late pass deflection to give Team Red a narrow victory in the 9th Annual National High School Showcase Sophomore game. The final score was 22-18.Team White, led by defensive MVP, Ayden Montgomery and running back Kareem Shaw, teammates at Gaffney High in Easley, South Carolina, came within a late touchdown of winning the game.With under a minute left on second and goal, Team White quarterback Julian Ayala, escaped the pocket looking for wideout James Klaiss who was open in the endzone, but the pass was batted down by McEachern High School’s Freedom Jones an athlete that made plays at four different positions during the game.One third down, Ayala tried to find Gerald Hunter of Atlanta’s Mays High School but the pass was broken up by Angelo Smith. On the final play of the game, 4th and goal, Ayala was sacked by Miami Edison’s Edge Rusher Derrick Miller as the clock expired. Miller took home lineman MVP honors on the afternoon.Game standouts include the following:–Freedom Jones (QB) the McEachern High School athlete played amazingly all game. Before he entered the game at QB in the fourth quarter, Jones did a ton of damage at EDGE with sacks and batted down passes. He was violent defender. His 65- yard rushing TD at QB was called back due to a holding call behind the play and he also caught a pass at wide receiver. Overall, he has one of the most impressive games in Football Hotbed All-star history after film review. –Trenton Lynch (RB) is perhaps the biggest prospect coming out of this game. He was offered by Georgia State University on our Sunday college visit to their campus and has great sophomore film. Linked here. Overall, he was impressive all game as he was a load to bring down and displayed home run hitting speed. -Brookwood High School’s Kaiden McKenzie (OL/DL) had the most impressive game overall as a lineman on both sides of the ball. –Angelo Smith (DB) of South Florida powerhouse Chaminade Madonna had a very complete game. He had two catches on offense, three PBUs on defense and a interception for a touchdown. –Ayden Montgomery (WR) made an in-game switch to H-back and punished the Team Red defense in the air and added a TD reception.–Kareem Shaw (RB) ran the ball well and caught a touchdown pass. He played excellent on defense also. Helped Team White amass five turnovers, helping to keep the game close.–Keyon’Dre Wright (DB) had his second consecutive Football Hotbed Showcase game with an INT. He secured one of Team White’s five turnovers this year and last year he caught a pick in the Freshman All-American Game.–Ethan Albertson (LB) the suburban Chicago defender had a sack-fumble than he eventually ran down the field 10 yards to recover for a Team White touchdown. –Gerald Hunter (DB) added an interception for Team White.–Immanuel Simmons (DB) added an interception for Team Red along with two PBUs.
watch the game: 2027 sophomore showcase
GAME PHOTOS
Freedom jones, qb/ath, powder springs, ga
Overall, he has one of the most impressive games in Football Hotbed All-star history after film review.
Trenton lynch, rb, spartanburg, sc
Overall, he was impressive all game as he was a load to bring down and displayed home run hitting speed.
Kaiden mckenzie, Ol/dl, snellville, ga
Most impressive lineman overall
Ethan albertson, lb, lake in the hills, il
Had one of the most impressive plays of the game. A forced fumble, recovered for a TD.
Angelo smith, db/wr, Miami gardens, fl
Angelo Smith will be a big time recruit at safety and shows great potential as a slot WR also.
Keyon'dre wright, db, hubert, nc
Wright grabs his second consecutive INT in a Hotbed Showcase
ayden montgomery, ATH, easley, sc
The Road To FIU-FHSAA Championships
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