You couldn't have asked for a more perfect Saturday for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program's kids clinic at Finley Stadium. Nothing but clear skies, a gentle breeze, the temperature a balmy 77 degrees by the time it all began at 11:30 a.m.
Said Mocs defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward: "We should have a thousand kids out here."
Alas, there were closer to 50 of the young folks, from eighth graders on down.
"At least there are still a few people willing to get up on a beautiful weekend and come down here to learn more about football," Ward added. "And the kids who have been here have been tremendous. They've done everything they were asked to do."
One of those youngsters was new UTC women's basketball coach Shawn Poppie's 5-year-old son Kai. Though he's a little young to be running around in a helmet and pads - all the participants this day were in shirts and shorts, no pads anywhere - Kai was a big fan of at least one of the drills that Mocs coaches and players put the kids through.
"Jumping over that thing-y," he said with a big grin while describing a pad the kids hurdled in an agility drill.
Said Shawn, obviously proud of his oldest son (he and Regina also have infant son Cayden): "I didn't play football. I was too scared I'd get hurt and miss basketball."
That fear of injury is at least one reason why youth participation in the sport has fallen so dramatically over the past decade or so. According to a study done by the Aspen Institute and the National Federation of State High School Associations that appeared in a Forbes Magazine article in 2020, the total number of youths aged 6 to 18 playing organized football fell by more than 620,000 nationwide from 2008 to 2019. That's a decline of more than 20%, and it's a decline that is accelerating, according to the magazine.
And if that's not worrisome enough for college coaches such as Ward and UTC head coach Rusty Wright, the Forbes piece also stated that attendance at major college football games has declined by nearly 10% over that same time period. Beyond that, most of that data was collected prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
"The biggest reason for this clinic is to get young folks interested in football," Wright said. "We're losing participation numbers at an alarming rate. It's just become way too easy for kids to go home after school and play video games while sitting on their sofa."
Whether this is an irreversible trend remains to be seen. The pandemic certainly hasn't helped, especially the economic fallout it has brought with it. As family budgets have tightened, some young people are opting for jobs over athletic activities in order to help with mounting bills.
There are also more athletic options now, everything from soccer to lacrosse to outdoor sports such as rock climbing to no organized sports at all.
But that didn't mean the young people who took part in Saturday's clinic - held prior to UTC's spring football showcase - or the Mocs players who coached them didn't enjoy the experience.
"It's great to get around all these little kids," said junior offensive lineman Colin Truitt, whose college career began at the University of Cincinnati, near his hometown of Lebanon, Ohio. "This is a chance to give them someone to look up to. These kids are the future of football."
Added junior tight end Jay Gibson, the former McCallie School star and Western Kentucky University transfer who grew up in nearby Cleveland, Tennessee: "I've got 12 little nieces and nephews, so I know little kids look up to us. This is a lot of fun to work with them."
One of those little ones at the clinic was Hezekiah Sledge, 7, who plays running back for the youth league Ravens.
"I like the players," the Montessori School student said.
Added his 11-year-old brother Josiah, who attends East Hamilton: "I liked getting to run a college play. And I liked (players) No. 8 (Gino Appleberry) and No. 31 (Bo Spearman)."
If a single moment between a UTC coach and player on Saturday is any indication, the chemistry for these Mocs should be outstanding.
Pointing to offense quality control coach Dominic Caldwell's shiny dome during one drill, Gibson told the kids to "follow that big, bald head, that huge watermelon."
Asked if he was worried Caldwell might become offended over such teasing, Gibson smiled: "No, he welcomes it. He loves the attention."
When a comment from Caldwell was requested, the coach flashed his own smile: "Oh, I might make (Gibson) run a few extra pass drills. But he (teases) all the time. Jay thinks he has this great head of hair, and he doesn't."
What the Mocs had not experienced since Wright took over at his alma mater was a normal spring when it comes to football practices. The Scrappy Moore practice facility was wiped out by flooding prior to the 2019 season. Then COVID-19 all but canceled the 2020 season, including the spring. Then the abbreviated spring season of Southern Conference games erased last year's spring practice schedule.
"It's just so nice to finally have a normal offseason," Wright said.
As he was leaving Finley Stadium after the clinic, Arts & Sciences student TJ Hicks said of his camp experience: "I just liked meeting all these college players. Football is what I want to do. I want to play in the NFL one day."
If he plays at UTC first because he enjoyed the kids clinic, Wright and his staff may have more than accomplished their goal to improve the Mocs' football future.
Mark WiedmerContact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @TFPWeeds.