Former NFL coach Kirk Broussard will hold tryouts for the seventh annual Youth Pro Bowl in Plant City on July 17.
Hosting four different age groups ranging from incoming first graders to eighth grade players, the tryouts will merge the feel of a football camp and a combine environment as players go through a number of drills while receiving coaching from former NFL players Clinton Hart and Ian Smart, among others.
“The atmosphere is more of a combine atmosphere,” Broussard said. “We’re testing their 40 times, we’re testing their shuttle time, we’re putting them through one-on-ones, we’re putting them through the L drill so it’d identical drills to the actual NFL combine. We want to really get a feel for their athleticism and then we want to get a feel for their football acumen as well when we put them one-on-one drills and team drills.”
Broussard brings with him six years of NFL coaching experience, most recently with the Buffalo Bills under former head coach Rex Ryan, and 13 years of coaching in total. In addition to his work with the Youth Pro Bowl, Broussard is also a motivational speaker and a coach for the Dream Bowl, an annual College Football All-Star showcase for players at the FCS, D-II and D-III players.
Plant City’s event comes alongside a series of other tryouts, with others being held in Tampa on July 16, Pensacola on July 31 and Portland, Oregon on Aug. 14. Other tryouts in additional locations will be held throughout the fall.
The top 15 kids from each tryout, and around 350 in total, will be selected to participate in the Youth Pro Bowl in Las Vegas next February, right alongside the NFL Pro Bowl.
“These kids in Plant City will get their chance to play against the best in the country,” Broussard said.
Each individual selected to the Youth Pro will receive a certificate of invitation to participate in the Las Vegas event, a replica Pro Bowl uniform like those worn by next year’s NFL Pro Bowlers, a duffle bag, a spirit pack and a Pro Bowl ring.
Tryouts will take place at the Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex from, 2602 E. Cherry St., from 8 to 11 a.m. Players can register on EventBrite $69 or at the event for $100.