Unlocking The Secrets Of Success Alabama State Football Camp Your Ultimate Guide In Detail

What Actually Happens at Alabama State Football Camp

Alabama State University runs its football camp annually, usually in late July, at the ASU Stadium on campus in Montgomery. The program is open to high school players from eighth grade through senior year of high school. It's not an elite overnight camp like some of the Power Five schools run. It's a day camp focused on evaluation, instruction, and exposure for players who are interested in the Hornets' program specifically. The cost typically runs between $75 and $125 per participant depending on the year and whether you register early. You can find registration on the Alabama State Athletics website under the football section. They post the date, the packet, and payment details there. I'd recommend registering at least two weeks out because spots fill up, especially for returning players.

Unlocking The Secrets Of Success Alabama State Football Camp Your Ultimate Guide In Detail

Here's what most camps miss: the schedule is packed early and moves fast. Arriving at gates opening (usually around 7:30 AM) gets you into the first wave of instruction. If you show up at 9 or 10 AM, you're waiting on the margins while coaches work the kids who arrived first. That matters more than people admit. The day breaks down into position-group sessions, team drills, and then some form of competitive period. Position work is where most of the actual teaching happens. The assistants run through fundamentals first—stance, hand placement, footwork—then progress to situation-based reps. The head coach usually circulates but doesn't coach every drill. That's not unique to ASU. It's how most mid-major camp structures work. One thing I learned the hard way after dropping my son off at a camp like this years ago: the evaluation form you hand in matters more than the kid shows up looking good. They want height, weight, graduation year, position, GPA, test scores if available, and highlight film link. If you skip the academics section, you're telling the staff you don't care about eligibility. They notice. My workaround was printing a second copy of everything and handing one to the position coach directly after the session instead of just dropping it in the collection bin. That actually got my son noticed by the receivers coach, which led to a later visit invitation.

The competitive period at the end—usually a modified scrimmage or position battles—is where the real assessment happens. Coaches are watching who competes when it counts, not just who looks clean in walk-through drills. A kid who stumbles on a route at 8 AM and fixes it by 3 PM tells a coach more than a kid who ran perfect routes all morning and then disappeared on third-down situations. Practical things to bring: full gear (helmet, shoulder pads if you have them, cleats), two hours' worth of water, sunscreen, a portable chair or towel, and your registration confirmation. Nothing fancy. The camp provides balls, cones, and basic instructional equipment. Some years they provide shirts. Don't count on it unless it's listed on your registration receipt. A counter-intuitive thing about these camps: the quieter kids often get more coaching attention than the loud ones. The kids who aren't talking to their parents on the sideline, not trying to impress, just lining up and executing—they tend to stand out to position coaches who are counting reps. I've seen this pattern across multiple camps, not just at Alabama State.

Common pitfalls to avoid:

• Showing up without having watched any recent game film from the program. Coaches will ask what you know about the system. If you say "nothing" you're already behind.
• Wearing brand-new gear that hasn't been broken in. Blisters and discomfort pull focus away from performance.
• Parents hovering near the field during instruction. The staff asks them to step back. It's not personal, it's standard camp protocol.
• Cramming film the night before instead of building a habit of watching game tape throughout the season.

The camp typically lasts about six to seven hours. Food is not provided. There are usually vendors on site or a concession stand nearby, but plan to bring snacks or eat before you arrive. The heat in Montgomery in July is real and it hits hard during full-contact segments. Hydration isn't something to wing it on. If you're a recruit considering Alabama State, this camp is one of several touchpoints the staff uses. It's not the only one. They also hold regional clinics, run visit weeks, and evaluate players through game tape from junior colleges and other programs. The camp is convenient because it's on campus and gives you a feel for the facility and the area, but don't treat it as the sole path to a scholarship. It's one data point in a larger evaluation process. What happens after the camp:

Most players hear back within a week to ten days if the staff is interested in a campus visit. Some get an email. Some get a call from an assistant. A few don't hear anything and that's normal—it usually means the staff is still evaluating other options and hasn't made a decision yet. If you haven't heard back in two weeks, it's appropriate to send a follow-up email to the recruiting contact listed on the football page. Keep it short. Restate your name, graduation year, position, and that you attended the camp. Ask if there's a next step. The facility itself is adequate. The stadium seats a few thousand. The practice fields are well-maintained. It's not flashy, but it's functional and that's what matters for a camp. The locker rooms and meeting spaces are clean. You'll get a sense of the daily environment your kid would be living in if recruited. One more thing people don't think about: the networking value. Other parents, other coaches, even players from other schools end up at these camps. Conversations happen. Someone might mention a junior college program that's looking for a player your son fits. Information flows faster than you expect in these settings. Just be present and engaged, not pushy about it.