DETROIT — It wasn’t too long ago that star Michigan football cornerback Will Johnson found himself working out at football camps hosted by luminaries in the metro Detroit area. Now he’s one of said luminaries helping younger kids learn what they need to play the sport of football at a higher level.
On Thursday evening, after the culmination of SMSB at Wayne State University, Johnson and several fellow Wolverines took over the Tom Adams Field to host the first inaugural Will Johnson Youth Camp. It was an idea that the Michigan sophomore felt compelled to bring to reality given how much similar events helped him.
“Giving back to the kids that grew up in the same neighborhood as me, going through the same program means a lot,” Johnson told WolverinesWire. “Because I was in their same shoes not too long ago, so I’m glad I was able to do it for them and it seemed like they had a good time.”
The event was put on in junction with the Stadium and Main collective started by Jamie Morris, and featured Johnson, Derrick Moore, Alex Orji, C.J. Stokes, Keon Sabb, Amorion Walker, Brandon Mann, Jayden Denegal, Tyler Morris, Kenneth Grant, Colston Loveland, Mason Graham, Kody Jones, Makari Paige, Raheem Anderson, Myles Pollard, and TJ Guy.
Johnson noted that it was similar events as well as his support system that made putting this one on a possibility.
“Just to have an opportunity, because my dad and my uncle Kurt always put on camps every year, and they could easily set this up for me,” Johnson said. “So being able to have this field and this program and helped me set it up was easy.”
All-in-all, the event felt like a successful one to Johnson, moments after it ended. What he liked the most was seeing the kids who partook in it enjoying themselves while finding ways to get better.
“People around made it easy for me to have a camp,” Johnson said. “So I had a good time, it seemed like the kids had a good time, too. And all my teammates helped me coach the guys up. So everybody had a good time.”
See pictures of the Michigan football players coaching below.