TAMPA, Fla. — Two Tampa football coaches are taking the game halfway around the world.
C.J. Bennett and his father, Chip, run the Quarterback Stable, a quarterback development academy based in Tampa. This October, C.J. Bennett and Receiver School coach Sean Gavin will co-host a four-day football camp in Shanghai, China.
"He texted me three weeks ago, 'Hey, do you want to go to China and coach a camp?' Is this too good to be true? What's happening here?" Bennett said.
The two coaches will team up with To God Be the Glory Sports, an organization better known for international basketball camps. American football is now joining the lineup.
Bennett knows the quarterback position well. He was a three-star quarterback at Alonso High School before becoming a Division I college coach and trainer. The Quarterback Stable has developed players at every level.
"We've sent kids to every single level, we've had over 40 Division I recruits, 150 college quarterbacks. Michael Penix, first-round pick. P4, SEC, ACC, Big 12," Bennett said.
The academy's impact is felt close to home, too.
"We've had kids that have been with us since third grade that are now high school seniors. I've literally watched them grow up," Bennett said.
Players say Bennett's coaching goes beyond the technical side of the game.
Quarterback Cora Hernandez is one of those players who has developed under Bennett's coaching.
"I've learned a lot of different footwork and shuffles, and stuff like that. I've learned how to slide, how to escape. I've learned progressions, and terms, too. You have to know the vocab," Hernandez said.
Quarterback Jahleel Athey said the players in Shanghai are in good hands.
"They're going to get a great coach. Whatever team CJ coaches is going to have a good culture and good environment. Coach CJ is a very good coach," Athey said.
Interest in the camp is already coming from across the globe.
"We're getting DM's from people, 'Hey, we'll be at the camp.' There's someone coming from New Zealand. It's awesome how the sport has grown, and to be apart of it internationally is really special," Bennett said.
For Bennett, the opportunity is one he never saw coming.
"Football has taken me a lot of places. Never thought it would take me to Shanghai," Bennett said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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