On the field, Fossil Ridge High School junior Caleb Camping appears to be like any other player: poised, intense, and locked in on the next play. Two weeks ago, that changed; behind closed doors, he is shaping his future.
Camping has not only succeeded on the field but also in the classroom, with a 3.75 GPA, he has committed to Arizona State University to play Tight End for their Division 1 football program and pursue a business major.
“It’s been a whole process these past few months, tons of conversations with coaches and different schools and meetings and phone calls. But, you know, ASU stood out because of my tight ends coach, and also the head coach, but mainly the tight ends coach, cool, genuine quality dude who knows what he’s talking about. I knew he could develop me,” Camping said.
After his time at ASU, his goals are to “make it to the NFL, and then, if not, yeah, I want to take over my grandpa’s car business down in Phoenix,” Camping said.
Camping’s journey didn’t begin with scouts in the stands or highlights of his best plays. His fight started in elementary school with his battle against cancer.
While Camping was sick, he continued to be enrolled in sports to help.
“I did swim team, I played soccer, I played basketball, and so, you know, it was a little difficult because I was always sick and I didn’t have the same physical capacity that I do now, and I think, honestly, that almost helped me heal a little bit.”
After recovering, Camping uses this experience to push himself further in life and use it to remember what he has overcome and to help him reach his goals.
“Now I just kind of use it as a story, and I’m just grateful every day to be alive, and I use it as motivation and just a reason to keep going.”
Camping is the do-it-all player, the tight end of the team. His job on the field is one of the most versatile positions, basically a hybrid job with playing part offensive lineman, part receiver. His ability to both block and receive has made him a key weapon for any team he is on. His skills in basketball transfer to the field to help him make special plays.
The sophomore quarterback, Colton Jantz, works with Camping everyday getting their routes down and practicing throwing, so the chemistry on the field is strong.
“As a quarterback, he makes my job a lot easier. He’s a big target, so I can see him a lot easier. He catches everything that I throw at him,” Jantz said.
Chris Tedford, a football coach since 2003 and Camping’s coach for the past three years, said he is different from other players because of his multi-sport skills and character off the field.
“He’s a great kid. He’s a great leader, very, very, very good vocal leader. He’s tall, he’s long. He plays basketball, skills come out in the form of football quite a bit. So he makes plays that make him special. He’s twitchy,” Tedford said.
Camping is a good fit for ASU and its team because of the position that he plays. Tedford has talked to recruiters about him and his future.
“He fits what they’re looking for. It’s a pretty valuable position in today’s game. And so he’s, you know, what people have said, recruiters have told me, one of the hardest things to find is a really good, athletic tight end, and he fits that mold,” Tedford said.
While Camping’s life is absorbed with football right now, he still plans to take over for his uncles when they retire at his grandpa’s car dealership in Phoenix, selling cars. He is going to keep the business in his family.