Several Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets participated in a recent MVP football camp held in Valdosta.

Freshman linebacker A.J. Stephenson, sophomore linebackers Darien Daniels and Jaylen Dunbar, sophomore strong safety B.J. Smallwood, and junior wide receiver Tay Cooksey competed in the day’s events. The MVP Camp hosted approximately 300 top players hailing from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana.

The day began with the recording of official heights, weights and 40-times of the athletes. Tay Cooksey posted a top 12 40-time while sophomores Darien Daniels and Jaylen Dunbar posted in the top 30 of the event. Athletes then worked with position coaches on specific drills for their playing positions.

The day is highlighted by one-on-one competitions. In one-on-one competitions, according to coaches at the camp, Tay Cooksey consistently ran great routes and made the great catches he is known for.

Cooksey adds “there were a couple of good defensive backs that I enjoyed competing against.”

On the defensive side, Daniels, Dunbar, Smallwood, and Stephenson proved they could stack up with some of the South’s best athletes, as they covered some of the best upperclassmen running backs and wide receivers at the camp.

“During the camp, I was able to see the competition I am up against and it was a great opportunity to compete against some of the best athletes around,” Darien Daniels said.

A.J. Stephenson said the camp showed him where he stands.

“After seeing and competing against some of these guys with Division 1 offers, I realize I have to step up my working out to get to that level in a few years,” he said.

B.J. Smallwood agrees the camp “was a great place to see good competition.”

“It let me know where I am at in my development and what I need to continue to work on this offseason,” he said.

Jaylen Dunbar summed up his camp experience.

“It was a great learning experience working with different coaches and competing against different players,” he said. “It was a lot of fun.”