In the midst of the offseason, ahead of an important year of football for the University of Michigan, several Wolverine players were able to take a reprieve from the serious nature of college football to help out at the 2nd annual Al Glick “Celebration of Football” youth camp at Jackson High School.
Two such players were junior wide receiver Nico Collins and redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Chuck Filiaga.
“It’s really fun,” said Collins. “When I was younger, I used to love coming to camps like this and getting help from older guys…It’s fun for me to come back and just have fun with the kids, because they really love it. They’re glad to see us out here.”
For Collins, it was a reminder of his simpler days of playing football as a youngster in Birmingham, Ala.
“At a young age like that, you’re just having fun,” he said. “You’re just enjoying football. That’s the only time you get to play football when it’s not that serious, you’re just doing it for the fun of it.
“Playing in the South, I’d say [high school football] is a lot more serious, they take it a lot more serious there, but [youth football] is still the same. Youth is youth, and they just like to have fun.”
Filiaga, whose family moved around the country before settling in Aledo, Texas, had a slightly different take on youth football in the South.
“Youth football in the South, it’s fun, but those kids really get competitive towards each other,” Filiaga said. “You just see that they have a passion. Their parents are over there watching, and they also partake in the kids’ drills, and they get fired up and get after their kids if they aren’t giving it their all.”
Despite their different perspectives, both players agreed they wanted to pass on their knowledge and the lessons they’ve learned to the campers.
“Just bring energy,” Collins said. “Bring juice and get them hyped up, play some football, learn how to play. Hopefully I get to teach the kids a little more about football, the fundamentals and techniques and stuff.”
“Back in my youth football days, it was all about taking in the knowledge that you were being coached, and being coachable,” Filiaga added. “Now that I’m able to do this, give back, participate in these youth camps, it [allows] me to give the knowledge back and help other kids learn about football.”
Like Collins however, Filiaga noted that at its core, youth football is about letting the kids enjoy playing the game.
“It’s exciting to participate with the kids, be with them, just see them play around and just teaching them that football is fun,” he said. “It’s all about having fun in the end.”
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