Mosley hosts free youth football speed and agility camp

LYNN HAVEN, Fla. — The next generation of football players took the field Saturday as Mosley High School hosted a free speed and agility camp, giving young athletes an opportunity to develop their skills while learning from Dolphins players and coaches.

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The camp, organized by Jordan Whitely, who oversees Mosley’s strength and conditioning program and runs Athletic HQ, featured drills focused on speed, agility, footwork and combine-style testing. Members of the Mosley varsity football team volunteered throughout the morning, leading stations and mentoring the campers.

Mosley head coach Tommy Joe Whiddon said the event reflects the program’s commitment to serving the community.

“Jordan Whitely, who does our strength and conditioning and runs Athletic HQ, came to me and said, ‘Coach, I run my little business on the side. Do you have any issue with me running the camp this year?’,” Whiddon said. “Jordan’s doing a great job running the camp. He’s got our players out here helping run all the different drills, creating relationships with the kids.”

While football fundamentals were part of the camp, Whiddon said the emphasis extended beyond the game itself.

“One thing we’re trying to explain to these kids, especially those who have aspirations to play at the next level, is the developmental piece of this,” Whiddon said. “Obviously football is paramount, but if you truly want to be a real player, especially at the high school level and beyond, you’ve got to be working on the drills and things that are going to make you better.”

Campers rotated through 40-yard dash drills, agility stations and other exercises commonly seen at football combines.

“We’re bringing those things to their attention because, at this young age, I don’t think most kids are aware of that,” Whiddon said. “We’re putting it on the minds of them and their parents that, as they go through this journey, this part is just as important as the X’s and O’s and making plays on the field.”

Whiddon said he likes what he has seen from his varsity squad throughout the summer. The Dolphins recently tested themselves against some of the nation’s top programs at an invitation-only 7-on-7 tournament in Hoover, Alabama.

“We played teams from Louisiana, Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama, and we competed,” Whiddon said. “We made it to the Final Four.”

Mosley was eliminated by nationally ranked Thompson.

“We lost to Thompson in a one-possession game,” Whiddon said. “They’re No. 11 in the country right now. We were the only team there that gave them a competitive game. They beat the brakes off everybody else.”

The experience, Whiddon said, reinforced his belief that the Dolphins can compete with anyone if they continue to embrace the program’s mentality.

“I think that gives us a lot of confidence about the potential this football team has,” Whiddon said. “If we compete and play hard, you’ve always got a chance. That’s our message to the kids.”

Adebanji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or through X, formerly known as Twitter, @AdebanjiBamide1.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Mosley hosts free youth football speed and agility camp