A pair of former ECU football players are looking to assist the next wave of gridiron gladiators.

Jimmy Booth and Marcus Simmons are holding their inaugural “Apply Preassure” Football Camp June 30 at New Bern High School. The camp is free for seventh to 12th graders and will last from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with lunch being provided.

An explanation for the spelling of "preassure" can be found at www.applypreassure.com.

Booth, a Greenville Rose stalwart who played defensive line and fullback for the Pirates from 2009 to 2013, said he wanted to help shine a spotlight on many talented players in the local area.

“One thing I’ve noticed is there’s a lot of undiscovered talent in Greenville, Kinston, Ayden and other areas around here,” Booth said. “We all played sports at an early age and grew up with abilities, but don’t always have the opportunity to show them at the next level. We’re hoping for a solid showing of athletes and families to build momentum for the season.”

Booth said the focus won’t just be on football, but also with prowess in the classroom.

“The ‘Preassure’ program is here to help athletes with academics as well,” Booth said. “A lot of kids have the athletic preparation, but some of them lack the academic preparation.”

Simmons, who played at New Bern High School and was a running back for ECU in 2013, said education was of the utmost importance.

“We hope to help athletes get college scholarships,” Simmons said. “For me, I didn’t get a full scholarship at ECU and had to walk on, so helping athletes go through the steps to get a (Division I) scholarship is what it’s all about.”

Simmons said the camp will do more than just basic drills.

“We really wanted to do something different for the guys out here,” Simmons said. “With the camp, we’ll work on fundamentals but also have different competitions like 1-on-1, 7-on-7 and individual drills.”

Anyone interested in registering for the camp can go to applypreassure.eventbrite.com or come to New Bern High School on the day of the camp from 9 to 10 a.m. For additional information about the Preassure program, register at applypreassure.com.