Goede gives back with 'Camp with the Champs'

Five Georgia football players brought their championship pedigrees to Kennesaw Mountain High School on Saturday in an effort to spread knowledge to the game’s future stars.

The NCAA title winners — former Mustang standout tight end Ryland Goede, sophomore tight end Brock Bowers, junior Dan Jackson, senior Nolan Smith, junior Brett Seither and freshman quarterback Gunner Stockton — hosted the “Camp With the Champs,” designed to expose youth football players in grades 1-8, to a variety of football drills.

All campers received direct drill instruction from the college players, a camp T-shirt along with autograph and photograph opportunities with the national champs.

A portion of the proceeds will go back to the KMHS football program. Goede, a junior, said he’s glad to give back to his alma mater and kids in the area.

“I remember when I was in a lot of these kids’ shoes, looking up to a lot of the guys who were playing college ball at the time that kind of went through here,” Goede said. “To be able to be on the other side of it and see where it’s gotten me and see that I can give back has been super cool.”

Although the only Cobb County native, Geode and his teammates saw the value of providing instruction to the youth in a metro area with a strong high school football culture. Two of the five, in Bowers and Seither are from out of state.

Still, their contributions to the camp shared a similar reasoning.

“These are a lot of my best friends but they were also the first guys that I asked,” Goede said. “I didn’t have to go around asking a bunch of guys, I asked them and a lot of them were, as soon as I asked on board with it.”

Goede said that he hopes to make the camp a yearly event going forward, planning to return next year to begin a tradition.