NFL Sundays were days to be cherished for Cam Stone and his mother, Rachel Garza Epps. Because she suffered from lupus, the two would spend ample time indoors to limit her sun exposure. Mother and son always bonded over their shared fandom of the sport, particularly the Dallas Cowboys.
"I didn't play football at all when I was with her, due to her having lupus. It's probably a lot more to it than I know, but she would never be able to be outside long enough to even watch me play, so I never got a chance to play football or anything," Stone recalled in a recent interview with Aloha State Daily. "But when the game came on, we were both right there watching it. Any sports, really.
"But football got the most rowdy, and I just enjoyed that time with her."
Stone was 12 when his mother suddenly passed. He's still reluctant to discuss the details, but remembers it was summer day when he was told she had suffered a seizure.
"We'd always talk about me playing and just having those aspirations and dreams, and just never had the chance to have her in person for one of those," he said.
Stone decided to give football a true shot "probably a year after my mom passed," he said. He started off as a running back, where he says he scored a touchdown the first time he got the ball but "never got the ball again." He also dabbled as a safety.
His junior high days were spent playing wide receiver and cornerback. At the tail end of his high school career, he narrowed his focus to cornerback, the position where he established himself as a legitimate professional football prospect at the college level.
"I eventually switched straight to corner," he said. "There was no looking back."
A first-team All-District honoree at Angleton High, his hometown school in Texas, Stone began his collegiate career at the University of Wyoming, choosing the Cowboys among a handful of other Group of Five offers.
Despite joining Wyoming during the middle of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Stone earned immediate playing time with the Cowboys, seeing action in five of the team's six games. In 2021 and 2022, he established himself as one of the Mountain West's top cornerbacks and kick returners.
Seeking a fresh start, Stone entered the NCAA transfer portal and received a bevy of offers, signing with the University of Hawai‘i. In 2023, he earned All-Mountain West honorable mention honors for the third straight year after finishing with 24 tackles, six pass breakups and an interception. He also doubled as the team's kick returner, averaging 20.7 yards per return.
The 2023 offseason proved to be a character-forming set of months for Stone, a sequence where his priorities were tested.
Coaches across the country loved what they saw from Stone's tape. Although he didn't enter the portal, that never stopped the vultures from circling.
"A lot of schools were in the mix, but I'll leave their names out," Stone recalled with a grin.
In the current age of college athletics, standout players from conferences like the Mountain West with remaining eligibility still get recruited by other schools across the country, with promises of more money and the like.
Stone prayed about it. He talked to family, friends and other trusted confidants. He decided he was going to stay. With one year of college ball left, he wasn't ready to leave the Islands just yet. He also got engaged to his now-fiancée, Elisa, in December 2023, and didn't want to immediately move the couple across the country.
"Do I really want to go through that process again? New teammates, a whole new surrounding, an environment that I'm unfamiliar with. When I built these bonds, and the way I looked at Hawai‘i at the time was we weren't where we wanted to be, and I didn't want to leave on that note at all, considering coach (Timmy) Chang brought me in on his vision, and I felt it was nowhere near complete," Stone recalled. "So how could I ever leave when that's the reason I came? It was really big for me to stay.
"I had built those relationships, and I know what it felt like to leave the other relationships that I had built at Wyoming, and I didn't want to go through that again."
In rebuilding the program's staff, Chang brought in Dennis Thurman to be the team's new defensive coordinator prior to the 2024 season. Thurman, a former cornerback himself, played in the NFL for nine years and coached in it for 14, serving as a defensive coordinator for four of them. As the year progressed, Stone's visits with Thurman went from frequent to daily. He was hungry to learn and improve.
The 2024 season, Stone's senior year, proved to be his best as a college football player. He started all 12 games, earning first-team All-Mountain Conference honors. Teams tried to avoid throwing in his direction, but he still had eight pass breakups and two interceptions. He also had 38 tackles and a forced fumble, grading out as Pro Football Focus' No. 3 cornerback in coverage grade nationally and fifth in overall defense among all players.
Despite his status as the team's top corner, he continued to play on special teams. A blocked extra point in a 21-20 win at Fresno State proved to be the difference. Although the Rainbow Warriors finished 5-7, falling short of a bowl bid, he continued to win the respect of his teammates and coaches. Following the season, he was named the team's MVP.
"Cam is a great person, loves football, his coaches and his teammates," UH cornerbacks coach PJ Minaya said. "Really bought into our program and trusted us in his senior year. Took the coaching and worked to get better. I think he would be a great pickup for any NFL team."
Added 12-year NFL veteran Rich Miano, who followed Stone closely as an analyst for Spectrum Sports: "Great balance and patience. Good quickness and speed. The most polished corner to come out of Hawai‘i in a long time. Should surprise people and make (an NFL) roster."
After the season, Stone flew home to the Houston area in preparation for the NFL Draft. His pre-draft process included ten weeks of rigorous training, including an appearance in the Hula Bowl. At UH's pro day at the end of March, he ran a 40-yard dash of 4.46 seconds.
Nearly every NFL team has checked in with Stone, although he says serious inquires have come from half a dozen teams. He's anticipating a move from cornerback to nickelback. The work hasn't stopped for Stone, who continues to work out on O‘ahu in anticipation of rookie minicamp. He plans to spend draft week with his fiancée and former UH teammates.
"Day 3 (of the draft), we will definitely have our eyes out. I do believe I'll get a call, regardless whether I'm drafted or not," Stone said. "The opportunity will present itself. I do believe I'll put myself in position for that. But yeah, we'll be paying attention Day 3, so we'll see what happens."
Standing at 5-foot-10, Stone believes his height isn't a measurement of everything else he has to offer. A tattoo on each forearm, combining to read 'Hard Times,' is a constant reminder of what he's endured.
"It's kind of a testament, or just a realization of where I've been, the things I overcame. Just kept going," Stone said. "That's kind of why the cracks are there, but it's still holding on. Just my ability to keep going and not give up for a way bigger cause.
"I've always had a chip on my shoulder, whether it be on or off the field. I've been relentless. I just keep going. And I'm a dog, despite what people label me as physically. I get my job done, and I hold people accountable."
As Stone prepares to learn his NFL fate, it will be one step of a journey that began from watching games on the couch with his mother. After watching the pros as a kid, Stone is days away from officially calling himself one.
"I know she's proud," Stone said of his mother. "Man, I just wish she was here for this process."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
