SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — James Coleman, former Florida High School, FSU, and NFL player, is investing in the community that shaped him, bringing football fundamentals and life lessons to young athletes in South Tallahassee.
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The seventh annual James Coleman football camp took place at FAMU DRS, drawing young players looking to sharpen their skills and gain mentorship during the summer months.
For rising eighth grader R.J. Christian, it was his second time attending the camp. He said the experience is more than playing outside with friends.
"Because it's practice, and everybody can use practice to get better, and this camp, from last year, my experience, it was really good and helped me with agility."
James Coleman, a Southside native, said he keeps returning because he wants to give back to the community that helped shape his own path to the NFL.
"Inspiring other people to be able to do it on other sides of town would be great, but this is the side of town that did make um a good impact on me. So maybe just something like simple as this will inspire somebody to be able to want to go to a Florida State or a Power Four. They go into the NFL, and the next thing you know, they're doing camps, " Coleman said.
Coleman said the camp's biggest impact is not developing better athletes it is surrounding young people with mentors who encourage them to make positive choices and believe in what is possible.
That includes bringing in highly recruited high school players and college athletes who can speak to where they are in their own journeys.
"So that's kind of letting guys be able to see, okay, not only do we see the end product, but we see guys who are in every aspect of the product that can tell us that it's a process, and you know, keep them encouraged and make them want to be able to do do great things," Coleman said.
Christian said the camp is a place to stay active, learn from mentors, and spend the summer in a positive environment and he hopes more of his peers get the chance to experience it.
"Definitely, parents should bring kids out to experiences like this, to keep them occupied during the day, and they're not bored," Christian said.
Coleman said he remembers looking up to former NFL players who returned to Tallahassee when he was growing up, and he hopes he is doing the same for the next generation inspiring young athletes to one day give back to their own community.
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