ORLANDO, Fla. — When camps become common during the summer, there were few as unique as John Rhys Plumlee’s, fitting for an athlete who is both UCF’s starting quarterback and center fielder. Plumlee is encouraging others to follow all of one’s passions if you’re enjoying yourself doing them all.

What You Need To Know

  • John Rhys Plumlee led his first ever baseball and football camp 

  • Kids in grades 1st - 8th  were able to attend at UCF 

  • Campers got instruction from Plumlee and his Knights football and baseball teammates

  • Plumlee hopes to encourage other kids that you don't need to just choose one passion

On a hot Saturday in July, Plumlee was seen running between stations at his camp on the baseball field. In the heat and the exhaustion of running a camp, Plumlee never lost his energy. 

“This was me, this is what I love to do every day, doing some baseball doing some football,” said Plumlee. “I’m glad that these guys get the experience of what I did as a kid and what I love to do as well.”

In the spring, a video went viral from Plumlee during a UCF baseball game versus Memphis. He had an RBI in the game and hit a single later in the seventh inning. The video captured him stepping off base and a pinch runner replacing him so he could run off the field. A golf cart was able to bring him across the street from FBC Mortgage Stadium, where he quickly suited up for UCF football’s Spring Game. He’s a two-sport athlete at the top of his game in both, with the support of both programs behind him: something he’s always hoped for. 

“I’m getting to live that dream what I always wanted to do and I can’t say it enough. I’m blessed to have the opportunity and blessed to be in a place where you can do it,” said Plumlee.

The multi-sport athlete is hard to come by at the DI level and even harder to balance if you are one. Plumlee makes it look easy. Now, he wants to inspire the next group of young athletes. 

“I remember when I was in their shoes wanting to do this, wanting to play football and baseball, wanting to be around collegiate athlete,” he said. “Now, that I get to give back and do that with them, it’s super, super rewarding for me as well.”

At JRP’s first-ever baseball-football camp, he showed kids you don’t have to make a choice and that you can not only play whatever you want, but can excel in both too.

“I was always told from a young age, ‘Hey, if you want go far in one, you have to pick one and you have to specialize, you have to do something well in one.’ But for me, I just love doing it,” said Plumlee. “I love playing baseball, I love playing football, I love playing soccer and basketball, doing anything outside running around with my Pops.”

About 50 kids, grades 1st-8th, got a taste of the lifestyle JRP gets to live while giving them a role model to look up to. When he was a kid, Plumlee was inspired in the same way.

“You know, a lot of high school guys did both. There’s this guy, Kirk McCarty, he pitched in MLB for a little bit with the Indians, he was a quarterback playing both at a high level,” said Plumlee. “I look up to him, I thought he was the coolest guy ever and now, sort of roles reversed. I’m the bigger guy and I have little ones looking up to me. It’s really cool, really blessed to do it.”

The campers got to participate in baseball and football drills with JRP and the help of some of his Knights teammates. Even as the one running the camp, it was clear: John Rhys Plumlee’s joy for being part of both sports hasn’t faded. 

“The guys that think you should only do one and only be good at one, I think that’s not how it should be,” he said. “I think you should do things that make you happy, things that you have fun doing. For me, it’s sports, football and baseball, especially.”