Tajh Boyd part of new football academy in Greenville

Boyd says he is excited about the new academy

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon May 02 13:35:10 GMT-04:00 2016

GREENVILLE – Former Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd announced Monday morning that he will be part of a new football academy opening in the Greenville area.

During a press conference at the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Boyd said that 100yds will be part of 22ft, the basketball academy that opened a few years ago. Boyd will be a mentor and instructor, along with former Clemson running back Greg Hood.

The academy will hold tryout camps this month in Spartanburg and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and they hope to begin play this fall. The team will face a rigorous schedule that could include everything from prep school teams to junior colleges. The curriculum used by the school will be the South Carolina Whitmore School, a virtual school that authorized by the South Carolina Public Charter School District, an extension of the South Carolina Department of Education.

Boyd said he was excited to be a part.

“It's a prep school. We want these guys to find a way to succeed and we want to help them do that and to just grow with the football aspect of it,” Boyd told TigerNet. “This is the second installment of the 22Ft. Basketball Academy which is a prep school based here in Greenville. They competed for the national championship this year. I think this something that will be huge in this area and huge in this state and hopefully one of the top prep schools in the country. That's what we're aiming for.”

Boyd said the tryouts will be the first step in launching the academy and the team.

“We're looking for the season to start in 2016 or 2017. We're actually having our first tryout May 14th at Upwards sports complex from 10 am until noon,” he said. “You can actually go on www.nationalcollegepreps.com to find further details on that. I'll be there. Mike Rawson - the founder of 22Ft. Academy - and Greg Hood, who is the founder of nationalcollegepreps.com will be there. It's going to be a special event. Hopefully, all of the kids come out so we can work with the talent and see what we can do. At the end of the day, we just want to give these kids a chance to compete at a high level and hopefully, get their dream offer at the collegiate level.”

Boyd said Hood will be a part of the hiring process for a head coach and will oversee the recruiting.

“It's great. He has a lot of knowledge, obviously,” he said. “It's been great to bounce ideas and details off of him because he's been on the circuit doing a lot of different things - the recruiting process, the developmental process. He has the whole package in one, so the guy is legit. I'm excited to be associated with him and Mike Rawson. It's going to be a good deal.”

Boyd leaves for Canada and the CFL later this month and is heavily involved in the Tajh Boyd Foundation, and he was asked why he wants to take on even more responsibility.

“I'm here to make sure these guys are on the right track and to make sure we are competing at a high level,” he said. “Obviously, I'm going to be doing some quarterback training, as well, when I get back from Canada. Everything will tie in together. I just want to make sure that these kids are getting everything that they want. I'm here to answer questions for the parents and things of that nature. It's going to be a good deal. Everybody is excited. It's going to explode, so make sure you hop on board.”

Boyd said he also has another reason for wanting to make a difference in the community.

“The people. The state of South Carolina in general. It's home for me now,” he said. “Obviously, wherever you live, you want that place to be as successful as possible. You want to help it grow as beautiful as possible and that's why it's important. I talked to Kevin Dodd yesterday and he's like look, 'I want to go up to my elementary school. Can you help set that up?' I called the principal at Taylor Elementary today and she was ecstatic. I just want to be able to give back the community as much as possible and the people around here are helping me do that. This is just one step for that. The big picture for me and this program is for it to be competing against anybody. There is so much talent in this state. The kids just need that extra push and that extra look and that's something we'll be able to offer.”

Boyd ended by saying he thinks the Tigers will have a chance to compete for the national championship again this season.

“No. 4 is special,” Boyd said of Deshaun Watson. “He's the number one player in the country. I think he'll be the number one overall draft pick. I think Clemson will have a chance to compete in Tampa for the national championship. I think this year is just taking it slow and taking it one game at a time. Coach Swinney has been very good at keeping these guys focused and knowing how to bring it all out of them. They know what the standard is. The standard is best and I'm looking forward to seeing that this year.”