Some positions in the NFL are much more celebrated than others. The quarterback, for sure. We also have the wide receiver and the edge rusher. But other positions are just as important. One of the more overlooked ones is tight end.
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The tight ends essentially have to be a hybrid between a wide receiver and an offensive tackle in both skill and size. That’s not an easy task, and also not much appreciated. That’s why Tight End University (TEU) was created. And there could be more like it coming for other positions.
TEU is a three-day camp/summit held annually in Nashville during the offseason, usually in June before NFL training camps. It was founded in 2021 by perennial Pro Bowl tight ends Travis Kelce, Greg Olsen, and George Kittle.
Attendees bond, study, train, and learn from guys like Kelce, Olsen, and Kittle, who have done it at the highest level. ESPN even produced a documentary on the camp this past year. And if you’re a TE of any kind of prominence, you’re attending this camp.
With the success of TEU, the idea to create similar camps/summits for other unsung heroes on the football field was inevitable. Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II is one of those leading the charge for the defensive back position.
Tight End University — founded by George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and Greg Olsen — is back for its fifth year this week.
Here’s the full list of tight ends attending the event: pic.twitter.com/cF76wDLyRr
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 23, 2025
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and just the second DB to win the award since 2010, recently said that his father, Patrick Surtain, suggested creating something like TEU for the defensive back contingent.
“We’ve been talking about this, bruh. I don’t know who it was. I think we had a discussion about it on Twitter. A couple of years back,” said Surtain II.
It was like me, [Darius] Slay, Sauce [Gardner], and I forgot who else. But it was a whole discussion on if we start a DB camp, that would for sure be an annual thing. A lot of people get the notion that DBs don’t really like each other, like we have this ego and sh*t,” Surtain II added via Closed on Sundays.
The elder Surtain was never a DPOY like his son, but he was also a cornerback. And he was no slouch in his own right.
Surtain Sr. played 11 years in the NFL from 1998-2008 for the Dolphins and Chiefs, intercepting 37 passes. He earned three straight Pro Bowls from 2002 to 2004, and landed First-Team All-Pro honors in 2002 and Second-Team honors in 2003.
Surtain Jr. believes that even he, the best CB in the game right now, would benefit greatly from a DB summit modeled after TEU. “I think it would be good work… Just dropping gems, learning. I’d be there like a sponge,” he said.
“I’d be picking his brain, somebody else’s brain, and just learning. I think it would be a great experience. So I think pops is onto something. I think we could start something up, whether it’s in Miami, [or] Orlando… Orlando would be the perfect spot. People got kids, they go to Disney World… I think it makes sense. Because the tight ends are doing it,” added Surtain II.
A summit for DBs, and specifically cornerbacks like Surtain II, would likely be a huge hit. The popular answer is often QB, but those who really know the game of football will tell you that the toughest position on the field is cornerback. And that’s never been clearer than in 2025.
There is a dearth of lockdown corners in the league in the mold of a Surtain II, Darrelle Revis, or Deion Sanders. Perhaps a CBU camp would help young corners get on track a little bit quicker.
