St. Michael-Albertville freshman Desean Phillips, of Albertville, impressed NFL-level coaches recently at the position-specific Football university (FBU) Top Gun Showcase recently held in Dublin, Ohio.
Desean (Class of 2019) was invited to the FBU national camp based on his outstanding performance earlier this summer at the FBU Twin Cities Camp. He joined more than 1,600 of the nation’s top football athletes at their position, and trained with current and former NFL players and coaches.
After earning Middle School Top Performer honors, former NFL coach Dave Atkins said “He’s a very talented running back. I expect big things from him.”
The week consisted of three days of on-field drills and skills competition. After the sessions, coaches, scouts, 24/7Sports and XOS Digital representatives created a “Watch List” for 2015, which included Desean’s name.
The national showcase gathered the most elite performers from around the country. Headlining the Top Gun Showcase coaching staff were quarterbacks coach Jeff Rutledge (former QB coach for the Arizona Cardinals); running back coach Robert Edwards; offensive line coach Jim McNally (widely considered the best OL coach in the game today); defensive backs coach Ray Buchanan (former Atlanta Falcon); and wide receiver coach Charlie Collins.
FBU is modeled after NFL minicamps. Each camp includes 20 hours of training and development, on and off the field, including film study, classroom testing, and guidance from NFL players and coaches. Football University travels throughout the United States to reach the country’s best high school and middle school football players.