Former Georgia player Drew Camp will share a special moment with his family on Saturday as his son Cal, who is the scout team quarterback for UT-Martin, will run out of the visitors' tunnel between the hedges.
Drew Camp played for the Bulldogs in the mid-1990s and graduated in 1998 with current head coach Kirby Smart. He’s since developed a successful real estate career in the greater Athens area.
The elder Camp returns to Sanford Stadium on Saturday to share a different experience for his family. He will cheer on the Bulldogs but also the team on which his son plays, UT Martin.
“It’s a pretty unique experience,” Camp told UGASports. “I still remember taking Cal to alumni events on G-Day, and he would run around on the field [at Sanford Stadium] like I did 25 years ago.”
Drew Camp raised his kids to be Georgia fans and brought them to every game possible while they were growing up. He wanted his family to experience what it felt like to be a Bulldog for life.
What Drew remembers about playing at Georgia was the camaraderie the 1998 team had. He and his teammates had a close bond in the locker room that was bigger than anything else.
“Playing at UGA was one of the great blessings of my life,” Drew Camp said. “It’s one of those things that still helps me in my day-to-day life now. And things that I learned as a part of that process and being in between those white lines. It taught me a bunch about myself, brotherhood, and teamwork. We’ll go back to lettermen functions and I get to see my old teammates.
"It’s interesting because it feels like we’ve maybe been away from each other for a year or two, but not 25 years. Since ‘98, it’s been a long time. Now, we see each other and we all have children, and we have our own families and careers, but that brotherhood is a special thing," Drew added. "It sticks with you. We pick up right where we left off, and I tell Cal he’ll have that one day. That bond is for life.”
Cal has been waiting for this moment since he arrived at UT-Martin. Despite wearing a different uniform and being on the visitors’ sideline, he wants his teammates to feel what he did growing up.
Cal is also excited his family gets to share this experience with him as it’s a dream come true for him.
“I think this is one of those moments when you just thank God because He’s so good,” Cal said. “This is truly as sweet as a moment gets. I don’t think there are many places more special than Sanford Stadium. For my family and I, it’s about as sacred as it gets in the world of college football.”
Cal played at Eagle’s Landing Christian and Athens Academy before graduating from nearby Morgan County High School, about 35 minutes from Sanford Stadium. He didn’t have many scholarship offers, so he attended a prep school for a year in Mississippi to continue his football career.
While in Mississippi, Camp passed for 2,037 yards and 30 scores in five games. He missed a majority of the season due to injury, but his performance helped him sign with UT-Martin in 2021.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity because they stuck with me,” Cal said. “Coach Jason Simpson gave me a chance and I appreciate that. I’ve learned a lot after being a part of this program.”
Simpson told UGASports that Cal embraces his role as the scout team quarterback. He said Cal spends a lot of time between his classes working on the practice field in case his name gets called.
“Cal is a great teammate. We’re glad he’s here with us,” Simpson said. “He’s working really hard. His teammates have a lot of respect for him. We lost a quarterback a couple of weeks ago who left the team, so everybody moved up a [spot]. I look out there between Cal’s classes, and he’s out there on the field. When you’re the scout team quarterback, sometimes you don’t get a whole lot of reps, and so, he’s out there in between his classes going through base plays by himself. I think I might have seen another young running back out there with him working on handoffs in case his opportunity comes sometime down the road. He’ll be able to help the team one day.”
Drew Camp is extremely proud of the way Cal has taken on this challenge and stuck with it.
“He’s a smart kid and a hard worker,” the elder Camp said. “When you work hard, don’t quit, and persevere, you can take lemons and turn them into lemonade if you’re willing to put in enough work to get there. Hard work, diligence and consistency cure a lot of things in life. I’m proud of him.”
Overall, the whole experience on Saturday for the Camp family will be special. Cal’s sister Cooper will be in attendance as well. She recently graduated from Grady College at UGA with a journalism degree and was a member of the Bulldogs’ recruiting staff.
“It’s safe to say our blood runs red and black,” Drew Camp joked.
While Georgia is also considered a heavy favorite, Cal said the Skyhawks are looking forward to the challenge of playing the back-to-back national champs. He’s also just happy to be back between the hedges again.
“Georgia is the standard. Georgia is the measuring stick in college football right now,” Cal said. “Having the opportunity to go out and play the defending national champions, there’s nothing better.”
