Going into his seventh season in the National Football League, Tré Herndon realizes how important being an active role model is for young and aspiring football players in his hometown.
The recently signed New York Giants cornerback has spent quite a bit of time this summer in Chattanooga giving back to a community where he once starred on the gridiron for East Hamilton High School. This past Saturday at his alma mater, Herndon put on his first Elite Skillz Football Camp, where more than 50 local athletes learned proper fundamentals and techniques while improving their craft by competing in 1-on-1 and 7-on-7 action.
“Just a few weeks ago I was in Chattanooga visiting a bunch of local high school football programs and I was telling these guys how important it is to keep going and pushing yourself to reach your dreams,” the 28-year-old Herndon said. “It’s going to be hard at times and you might be at a disadvantage, but the more you work and keep going then you will be able to accomplish what you want to do.
“As a free agent, I went up to a camp with the Giants recently and earned a contract by showing them what I could do over two days. That was beautiful for not only me, but for these guys in Chattanooga to see that a kid from here can accomplish their biggest dreams if they grind at what they love to do.”
Herndon was a 3-star high school prospect for the Hurricanes as well as a Times Free Press Dynamite Dozen selection who went on to stand out at Vanderbilt. In his senior season with the Commodores in 2017 he ranked third in the Southeastern Conference with 11 pass deflections.