Fall camp in HBCU football is a unique place where brotherhood and competition crash together at full speed. In the second episode of season 2 of HBCU Gameday’s ‘Hard Knocks’ style documentary series Brick x Brick, we go behind the scenes with the Johnson C Smith University (JCSU) football program as they prepare for a 2024 season where they’re no longer the underdogs.
After winning the second most games in school history in its first winning season in 10 years, JCSU football comes into the year carrying the unfamiliar burden of expectation. Picked to finish fourth in the 2024 CIAA preseason rankings, the Golden Bulls’ fall showed that you can build team chemistry while hitting each other for 3 straight weeks.
Filmed over two practice days, Brick x Brick | Inside Fall Camp goes inside the huddle of an HBCU fall camp to show fans what it’s really like during the dog days of a mid-August practice. We get a first-hand look at how rough it can get in the trenches during O-line vs D-line one-on-one drills.
Brick x Brick | Inside Fall Camp | Photo Gallery
The most important position battle for Johnson C Smith football coming into 2024 was at quarterback, but for newly named QB1 Darius Ocean, it was just as important to help build up the other quarterbacks on the team as it was for him to try to beat them out for the position.
With his quarterback locked in, JCSU football head coach Maurice Flowers had to install his offense. The only problem? They have to go against a defense that finished number two statistically in Division II football in 2023.
After a grueling hot day of fall camp, it was time for a little motivation before hitting the locker room. Ric Elias, CEO of Charlotte, NC media giant Red Ventures stopped by Fall Camp to speak to the team about his 3 keys to having a successful team and reminded the Golden Bulls that everything changes once you have the expectation of success.