On June 14, Velocity hosted an OL/DL camp with the largest middle school athletic association in the country -- GMSAA. We served 60+ athletes from across the state!
CANTON, Georgia, June 30, 2025 --- On June 14, 2025, Velocity Athlete Development – in conjunction with Georgia Middle School Athletic Association – hosted a free one-day offensive and defensive line camp. Together, the two organizations hosted 63 rising sixth, seventh and eighth graders in a day of positional drills concluding in one-on-one competitions.
A nationally recognized facility for its training of lineman from the NFL to youth levels, Velocity Athlete Development and its staff of trainers provided both an instructional and competitive environment for athletes of all skill levels from across the state of Georgia.
“The kids got an opportunity to see where the best dudes that are older than them are training in Georgia, well really across the country,” Xavier Pendergrass said.
Pendergrass, a DL coach at Velocity, was one of the organizers of the camp alongside GMSAA’s David Mack, the head coach of the eighth-grade feeder football team for Sprayberry High School, the Junior Jackets, and GMSAA seventh grade head coach.
“For me there was no other choice for GMSAA as a partner,” Mack said. “I had the pleasure of winning a FBU National Championship coaching with Josh and Xavier, so I have seen up close their attention to detail and brilliant coaching minds.”
Velocity founder, Josh Richardson, and fellow organizers aimed to provide high-level training for free that many either do not have access to or cannot afford. Some athletes in attendance were already Velocity clients, but the vast majority were not, like Cartersville Middle School eighth grader Caleb Johnson.
“I really enjoyed the one-on-ones and the overall competitiveness of the event,” Johnson, a center, said. “I feel like they created an environment that pushed me to stay sharp as well as improve and showcase my skills under some pressure.”
The one-on-one competitions are meant to simulate a pass-rush situation where both offensive and defensive linemen can not only show their abilities, but also receive individualized coaching after the rep.
North Cobb defensive tackle Raphael “Tyson” Menard Jr. is a student at Velocity who attended the camp. His father, Raphael Menard Sr., noted how techniques have evolved from when he played.
“Now it’s more competitive,” Menard Sr. said. “They’re more advanced in what they’re training... It’s next level.”
Even parents without previous playing experience appreciated the event. Shakelia Green, mother of seventh grader Jordan Green, applauded Velocity’s coaches and the individual attention the athletes received. Johnson’s mother, Melissa, appreciated the emphasis on player safety during the physical one-on-ones – fostering a safe environment without discouraging competition.
Beyond the physical benefits the organizers of the camp provided, the day certainly left an impression on many of the participants.
“They had flags up there of people who played at the college and NFL level,” Green, from Carrolton Middle School, said. “If you go there and put in the work, they can help you go somewhere in life.”
One day could change the trajectory of an athlete’s life, which is why the camp was the first of what will be an annual event. And, according to Green, at least one participant will be returning.
“Definitely I would participate in something like this again because I got better and I just had fun,” Green, a guard, said. “I had fun doing what I love.”
