Denver Broncos tight end Jeff Heuerman picked a special location to host his first youth football camp.
Heuerman, entering his fourth season in the NFL, gathered about 100 kids on the same field where he started his career at Thursday’s camp. Before winning a college national championship or winning a Super Bowl ring, Heuerman took his first snaps at Barron Collier High School.
“This is my roots,” Heuerman said Thursday morning before the camp started. “This is the first place I ever played football. Day 1 of my football life was here.”
A standout hockey player as a kid, Heuerman didn’t put on pads until he was a freshman at Barron Collier. He grew to 6-foot-5 and became one of the top tight end prospects in the country while with the Cougars.
Heuerman played four years at Ohio State, including the 2014 national championship season, and was drafted by the Broncos in the third round of the 2015 draft. He was a rookie on injured reserve when Denver won Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season, Peyton Manning’s last year.
On Thursday, Heuerman wanted to give back to the young players in his hometown. He brought a handful of his Buckeyes buddies to help.
The coaching staff at the youth camp included six players from the 2014 Ohio State squad. Barron Collier coaches, including head coach Mark Jackson, also helped out. Also on hand was Matt Heuerman, the youngest of the three brothers who played tight end at Barron Collier, who will play football at Toledo in the fall.
“I know if I had a camp like this, (Heuerman) would be there,” said Seattle Seahawks tight end Nick Vannett, one of the former Buckeyes players. “I wanted to help any way I could. We want the kids to have fun and also teach them a few things along the way.”
The other of Heuerman’s former Ohio State teammates included Jake Stoneburner, who played two NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins, and Reid Fragel, who played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Joel Hale, who was in training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016, also was one of the guest coaches at Heuerman’s camp.
“We’re a tight-knit group,” said Zach Boren, who played fullback and linebacker at Ohio State and was at the camp. “We’ve done multiple camps at each other’s hometowns. We’re always excited to get out here and help the kids in each other’s communities and see where we’re from.”
The kids were thrilled. The campers varied in age from 8 years old to high school. They ran drills and received tips and advice from the former collegiate stars.
“We’re learning ways to get better,” said Johnny MacCluggage, 13, who’s uncle Rick MacCluggage is a longtime coach at Barron Collier. “It’s nice that these guys took time to come down here to work with all the younger players.”
The camp was not free like the kids camps of some NFL players. There was a $50 registration fee. However, all the proceeds will go to charity.
Heuerman has given to local causes before. For a Barron Collier football fundraiser last season, he donated a signed jersey and the gloves he wore when he caught his first touchdown. The framed jersey and gloves were auctioned off for $1,200 to help Heuerman’s alma mater.
“He wants to be part of the community,” said Jackson, who didn’t arrive at Barron Collier until Heuerman had graduated but coached against him as an assistant at Golden Gate. “This camp was his idea, and it’s great for these kids.”
As much as the kids enjoyed Thursday’s camp, Heuerman seemed to have just as much fun. The 6-5, 250-pound tight end was enjoying his final weeks off before the Broncos start training camp July 28.
After missing all of his rookie year with a torn ACL, Heuerman played in 26 games the past two seasons. He had nine catches each year and two touchdowns in 2017.
“It’s important to have fun in the game,” Heuerman said. “Hopefully we’ll show the kids a little bit of that side of the game so they can enjoy it but also learn some things.”