100 Players Participate in First Elite Camp of 2025 Offseason at Lamar Dixon

The 2025 Gridiron Football Elite Camp offseason got kicked in high gear with one of the biggest turnouts in the history of Gridiron Football.

Last Saturday, 100 players between 6th grade-11th grade decided to come to Lamar Dixon Expo Center, which is the home of this past year’s Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game practices and events, to get some exposure while also competing to get better.

Players run through drills at the Gridiron Football Elite Camp at Lamar Dixon. (Photo taken by Jason Saucier)

Before the start of the camp, Gridiron Football CEO Andy Bryson talked with the players to give them advice on what colleges are looking for. After each player got interviewed and got to stretch, it was time to get the camp started.

The camp officially kicks off with a combine and goes through the exact same drills that NFL players go through at the NFL Combine. Each player gets their times and measurables for the 40 yard dash, the shuttle, and the broad jump.

East Ascension RB Jason Blackburn runs a 4.44/40 at the Gridiron Football Elite Camp. (Photo taken by Jason Saucier)

East Ascension 2026 RB Jason Blackburn Jr. stunned everybody with a blistering 4.44/40 yard dash to pace the entire camp. To show that it was not a fluke, he would later go on and run a 4.49 for his second attempt. The incredibly quick time even was a surprise for Blackburn.

“With the 40, I just went out with the same technique that I go over. I didn’t know that I ran a 4.4. I was surprised just like everybody else. It was a honor to come out here and compete against other athletes.”
East Ascension 2026 RB Jason Blackburn Jr.

Although Blackburn stole the show with his 40 yard dash, he was not the only standout to run as 16 different players ran either in the 4.5’s or the 4.6’s including Slaughter Charter 2026 QB/CB Ty’Kimion Ford (4.53), Woodlawn B.R. 2026 DB Cayden Randall (4.55), Southern Lab 2026 QB Jerry Bottley (4.56), Liberty Magnet 2026 CB Aidan Rowley (4.58), Live Oak 2026 CB Rekiyan Jackson (4.59), Chalmette 2026 WR Dana Antoine (4.62), Carencro 2026 WR/SS Rontrell Woods (4.63), Pineville 2028 TE/LB Brady Dubois (4.63), Mandeville 2027 WR Jake Jacketti (4.65), Episcopal 2026 LB Taj Callahan (4.65), Live Oak 2026 LB/RB Clinton Wallace (4.66), Lutcher 2027 RB Jaimyon Joseph (4.66), St. Helena 2027 WR/S Timothy Dorsey (4.69), and Woodlawn B.R. 2026 WR Jaiden Robinson (4.69).

Players run the 40 yard dash during the Gridiron Football Elite Camp at Lamar Dixon Expo Center. (Photo taken by Jason Saucier)

For the shuttle, nine players ran under a 4.5. West St. John 2026 RB Jakari Milton ran a 4.34 leading the way. Liberty 2026 RB Zaiden Foster (4.35) and Mandeville 2027 WR Jake Jacketti (4.37) ran under a 4.4 while Southern Lab 2026 QB Jerry Bottley (4.4), Slaughter Charter 2027 DE/TE Nadrien Johnson (4.4), Destrehan 2026 WR Cai Williams (4.44), Slaughter Charter 2026 RB NaDorian Jackson (4.44), and Chalmette 2026 WR Dana Antoine (4.44) were just behind them.

In the broad jump, Woodlawn B.R. 2026 DB Cayden Randall had the longest broad jump with a 10’3 jump. Southern Lab 2026 QB Jerry Bottley and Acadiana 2027 WR Gabriel Decuir were not far behind with two equal 10 foot jumps. 20 other players also showcased their hops with 9 foot jumps.

Woodlawn DB Cayden Randall had the longest broad jump of the camp with a 10’3 broad jump. (Photo taken by Jason Saucier)

After the combine, the players got to learn some drills and techniques for each of the position groups. Then, it was time for all of the players to compete. For the skill position players, they got to compete against one another in 1v1s and 7v7s. Franklinton 2026 QB Jacob Crain and Woodlawn B.R. 2026 WR Trinton Bennett connected on a nice corner fade for a touchdown during 7v7s to highlight the session.

The linemen also went up against each other and competed through 1v1s and the always popular tire drill.

Linemen take part in the always popular tire pull during the Gridiron Football Elite Camp at Lamar Dixon. (Photo taken by Jason Saucier)

After the camp, it was time for the awards ceremony as the coaches chose their top performers. Rewarded with special Gridiron Football water bottles were St. Amant 2027 WR/CB Cedrick Jones, St. Paul’s 2028 OL Andrew Shofstahl, Chalmette 2026 DE Timothy Taylor, Woodlawn B.R. 2026 DL Joshua Covington, Madison Prep 2026 LB Ryan Variste, Archbishop Hannan 2026 LB Greyson Dupre, Slaughter Charter 2026 DB Thomas Carter, and Liberty 2026 CB Ashton Lafleur. All of the players were standouts throughout the entire camp whether it was their work in the position drills or standing out amongst the competition.

The Gridiron Football Elite Camp Top Performers (Photo taken by Jason Saucier)

The awards did not stop there as Andy Bryson surprised seven upcoming seniors with invites to play in the 2025 Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game. Franklinton 2026 QB Jacob Crain, Southern Lab 2026 QB Jerry Bottley, East Ascension 2026 RB Jason Blackburn Jr., Woodlawn B.R. 2026 DB Cayden Randall, Episcopal 2026 LB Taj Callahan, U-High 2026 RB Sage Ingram, and Woodlawn B.R. 2026 DE Tyrone Morgan were the first candidates to be invited to play in the prestigious All-Star game at the end of the year.

Seven players earn invite to the 2025 Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game. (Photo taken by Jason Saucier)

Finally, Gridiron Football had one more surprise up their sleeves, but this time, it was for one of the coaches at the camp as Bryson announced that he was going to select Terrebonne High School head coach Tyler Lewis as one of the two head coaches for the 2025 Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game.

“It’s going to be great. It’s a great experience being an assistant at the game and now being the head coach for the Tigers in the Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game. We enjoy being around the kids, seeing the kids getting offered, and also getting life lessons. It’s just a great atmosphere and a great environment. My advice to all the kids is to go out there and just keep working. Hopefully, you will be the next one to get invited to the bowl game.”
Terrebonne Head Coach Tyler Lewis

In order to get to play in the 2025 Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game, the quickest way to get considered is to participate in one of our camps this offseason. There are plenty of opportunities including our next camp, which will occur on Saturday, March 22nd at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana.

The first camp of the season was a smashing success at Lamar Dixon Expo Center. So much so, there will also be another camp at the location on Saturday, April 26th.

If you are a player that is looking to get their reps on film, get some exposure, and finally get an opportunity to be invited to play in the 2025 Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game, make sure to visit the link below to sign up for a camp near you!