After going undrafted in 2018, Echols-Luper spent time on the practice rosters of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and BC Lions of the CFL from 2018 to 2019. He later played in 18 games for the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL) from 2022 to 2023. He then had a short offseason stint with the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL but the team folded, and he signed with the Calgary Stampeders, for whom he started 12 games in 2024. Echols-Luper also participated in track and field while at TCU, garnering Outdoor USTFCCA second-team All-American recognition for his performance in the 4x100 relay during the 2014 outdoor track season and winning the long jump event at the 2015 Big 12 Indoor Championships.
Early life
Cameron Damonte Echols was born on April 9, 1995, in Ennis, Texas.[1] He played high school football at Auburn High School in Auburn, Alabama as a quarterback and was a three-year starter.[2][3][4] He recorded 2,339 total yards of offense and 25 touchdowns his junior year.[5] His senior year, he threw for 1,036 yards and 11 touchdowns while also rushing for 898 yards and seven touchdowns, leading Auburn high to a loss in the Class 6A quarterfinals.[4] In the class of 2013, he was rated as the No. 19 overall prospect in Alabama, the No. 7 wide receiver in Alabama and the No. 131 wide receiver in the country by Scout.com.[4][5] Echols-Luper was also rated a three-star prospect, the No. 15 overall prospect in the state and the No. 55 wide receiver nationally by 247Sports.com.[6][7]ESPN rated him a three-star prospect, the No. 34 overall prospect in Alabama, and the No. 126 "athlete" in the country.[8][9] In August 2012, he committed to Texas A&M to play college football.[10] However, in January 2013, he switched his commitment to TCU.[11]
Echols-Luper also participated in track and field in high school, winning state titles in the long jump (23'-6"), 200-meter dash (21.28 seconds), and 4x100 relay his junior year.[4][12] He won the state title in all three events again his senior year as well with 24'-3.75" in the long jump, 21.81 seconds in the 200-meter dash (21.81), and 24.34 seconds in the 4x100 relay.[4][12]
College career
Echols-Luper first played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs from 2013 to 2014.[4] He caught four passes for 21 yards and returned 14 punts for 187 yards as a freshman in 2013, earning Phil Steele second-team freshman All-American honors as a punt returner.[13][14] He also threw a 38-yard touchdown on a trick play.[15] In 2014, Echols-Luper recorded nine catches for 72 yards, 33 punt returns for 349 yards and one touchdown, and nine kick returns for 103 yards.[13] He was named on NFL.com's "14 for '14: Fastest players in college football".[16] Echols-Luper participated in track at TCU as well.[12] During the 2013–14 indoor track season, he finished in second place in the long jump at the Reveille Invitational, the Texas A&M Invitational, and the Big 12 Indoor Championships.[12] His 7.40 jump at the Texas A&M Invitational was the fifth-best in the Big 12 that season.[12] In the 200-meter dash, he finished in fourth place at the New Mexico Invitational and seventh place at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.[12][17] During the 2014 outdoor track season, he had a first-place finish at the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational in both the 200-meters and the 4x100 relay, a second-place finish in the 4x100 relay at the Michael Johnson Classic, and a second-place finish in the 4x100 relay at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships.[12] The 4x100 relay team finished in 11th place at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships.[12] Echols-Luper was named an Outdoor USTFCCA second-team All-American for his performance in the 4x100 relay during the 2014 outdoor track season.[12] During the 2014–15 indoor track season, he finished second in the long jump at the New Mexico Team Invitational and first in the long jump at the Big 12 Indoor Championships with a jump of 24'-11.75".[17][18] He later finished in fifth place at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships with a long jump of 25'-11.5".[17] During the 2015 outdoor track season, which ended up being his final season of college track, he had a first-place finish in the long jump at the Michael Johnson Classic, a second-place finish at the TCU Horned Frog Invite, a fourth-place finish at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, and a ninth-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships.[17] The 4x100 relay team also finished second at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a time of 38.59 seconds.[17] In January 2015, it was reported that Echols-Luper would be playing defense for the TCU football team in 2015.[19]
In August 2015, Echols-Luper transferred to Arkansas State to play quarterback.[20][21][22] However, he did not end up playing quarterback there. He had to sit out, and redshirt, the 2015 season due to NCAA transfer rules.[5] In 2016, Echols-Luper caught 26 passes for 407 yards and one touchdown, threw a 35-yard touchdown on a trick play, returned six punts and two kickoffs, and punted four times for 139 yards.[13][23] He was named the "Fastest Receiver" in the Sun Belt by the Sporting News in 2016.[5] He was also listed on NFL.com's "16 for '16: College football's most freakish athletes".[24] He majored in general studies at Arkansas State.[5]
Echols-Luper transferred to play for Western Kentucky in 2017.[25][26] In March 2017, he was suspended indefinitely from the team after being arrested for misdemeanor drug possession.[27] He was later cleared to play in August 2017.[28] Echols-Luper totaled 42 receptions for 473 yards and four touchdowns while also returning 18 kicks for 390 yards for the Hilltoppers.[13]
Echols-Luper was signed to the practice roster of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on July 30, 2018. He was released on September 2, 2018, and later re-signed by the team on January 3, 2019.[31] He was released again on May 6, 2019.[32]
Echols-Luper was signed to the practice roster of the BC Lions of the CFL on September 10, 2019. He was released on October 9, but later signed to a futures contract on October 29, 2019.[33] The 2020 CFL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Echols-Luper became a free agent in February 2021.[34]
Echols-Luper with the Stampeders in 2024
Echols-Luper played for the Sea Lions of The Spring League in 2021, catching 13 passes for 193 yards.[35]
On April 1, 2022, Echols-Luper signed with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL).[36] He played in eight games in 2022, recording three receptions for 38 yards, one rushing attempt for a 24-yard touchdown, and 26 kickoff returns for 748 yards.[35][1] He appeared in all 10 games in 2023, catching 23 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns while also returning eight kickoffs for 255 yards and one touchdown.[35][1] Echols-Luper was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 9 of the 2023 season after returning the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.[37] He became a free agent on October 1, 2023.[38][39] Echols-Luper wore jersey number 18 while with the Generals.[1]
Echols-Luper signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL on January 31, 2024.[42][43] After a season-ending injury to starting wide receiver Malik Henry, and with Echols-Luper having led the team with 229 receiving yards during the preseason, Echols-Luper ended up making the team's regular season roster.[43][44][45] He was moved between the active roster, 1-game injured list, and practice roster several times during the 2024 season.[46] Overall, he dressed in 12 games, all starts, for the Stampeders that season, totaling 31 receptions for 363 yards and four touchdowns, 12 punt returns for 109 yards, and eight kickoff returns for 181 yards.[47][35]
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