Former UVA/CFL Quarterback David Watford Training Academy

Hampton native David Watford played professional football after college and is now sharing his years of experience training quarterbacks at both the college and high school levels.

I met David for one of his practices to gather some details about his training sessions.

Passing Academy

“We come out here and do what I call a passing academy,” Watford said. “But, we come out here, and it’s not just for quarterbacks, but receivers, running backs, whoever wants to come out here and get work in.”

He added, “For quarterbacks, we work on fundamentals, footwork, timing, and the little details that go into playing the position. We’re just out here working and having fun.”

The workouts are structured like a gym membership, with quarterbacks coming out on days that best fit their schedules and training requirements.

Even a Phoebus player who was there beforehand, working out individually, was added to the receivers group.

“It could be anywhere from two guys, depending on the day, to like 9, 10, 11 guys,” Watford said. “We’re out here usually like three days a week minimum. We’re out here like 3 days a week, and it could be a large group with a bunch of quarterbacks. As I said, it could be 2 to 11 quarterbacks, or a group of 20 guys with a bunch of receivers and QBs. So, it just depends on the day.”

Training for All Levels

Watford says there is no age limit and each camp is tailored to the level each participant needs.

“We have kids from like 6 years old to college guys,” Watford said. “One of my younger cousins, who is 6 years old, would come out here too. Guys who are older in their 20s. We don’t discriminate age-wise; whoever wants to come out and work and learn, I’m open to it.”

The practice I attended featured several college quarterbacks, including Norfolk State’s Parker Lancaster, who is a favorite to win the starting job. Also on-hand was Rivals’ 3-star and Denbigh Kevin Parker, who has more than a dozen D1 offers, and Bethel quarterback Keenan Carter Jr.

I asked Watford what some of the traits a quarterback needs to be successful for their team are.

“All quarterbacks need confidence and the belief in themselves,” Watford explained, “that no matter what happens the play before, you can’t worry about that. You just have to believe in your skill set, your ability to execute the play call or whatever the task is. Whether it’s drills, certain throws, or whatever.”

He continued, “But I think confidence and then a short memory, you’ve got to have a really short memory to play this position because you can’t dwell on what happened previously. If you made a turnover, even if you threw a touchdown, you can’t still be thinking about the touchdown because the next play is the next play.”

Watford Star Quarterback

Watford was a star recruit at Hampton High School, following in the footsteps of NFL veteran Tyrod Taylor. He committed to the University of Virginia, where he played for three years before finishing at Hampton University.

After a brief stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, Watford played professionally in the Canadian Football League for several seasons.

“I feel like I was blessed to have the right people in my life,” Watford said, “whether it was my older cousins and kind of showing me the path or having guys like Tyrod Taylor, Taj Boyd, Tommy Reamon.”

“Those guys who laid the foundation before me in the Peninsula District,” he said “Many of those who played in the PD went on to play D1 somewhere, and your goal is to go play pro. So, I was able to see that from a bunch of different guys.”

Watford can be reached on Instagram at davewatford and also ota_fbacademy.