BOISE, Idaho — Former Boise State football star and NFL running back Alexander Mattison spent the weekend mentoring the next generation of football players during a free youth camp at Boise High School.
Mattison teamed up with 16 current Boise State football players to lead young athletes through drills, skills training and football fundamentals.
“I always wanna make sure I pay it forward,” Mattison said.
The camp focused on more than just touchdowns and technique. Current Boise State players also worked with campers on the fundamentals of the game and the importance of enjoying the sport.
WATCH | Former Boise State star Alexander Mattison hosts youth football camp
“Seeing kids that don't know the basic stuff and then being able to teach it and watch it kind of come into fruition is kind of, you know, a fun thing,” said Franklyn Johnson Jr., a redshirt junior defensive back for Boise State.
For the young athletes taking part, the lessons went beyond the football field.
Gavin Busche, an eighth-grade camper, said he learned more about what it takes to become a professional athlete.
“I’ve learned that it takes a lot of hard work,” he said.
For participant Blake Osen, who dreams of one day making it to the NFL, the camp also provided an opportunity to work on the mental side of the game.
“I’ve learned a lot of stuff mentally. That's one of the things I struggle with is my mental so all this is helping my mental,” Osen said.
Osen said Mattison helped him better understand the quarterback position, including timing, routes and where to throw the football.
“He's definitely helped me see in the field and like knowing where to throw on time and he's helping me with learn new routes and learn new stuff to to play with,” Osen said.
Mattison said one of his biggest goals was to make sure the campers left feeling encouraged — whether or not they ultimately pursue football.
“I want them to feel encouraged that they have a gift within themselves, whether that's on the field, on a basketball court, as a surgeon, as a chef, as a doctor, educator, whatever it may be, they have a gift within themselves, they just have to find it, embrace it, and use it to shed light in the world, and that their mental health is just as important as their physical health,” Mattison said.
Mattison also shared parts of his own story with campers, including his struggles with mental health during college and his recovery from a major neck injury last year.
Those experiences are part of the motivation behind Mattison’s I Am Gifted Foundation, which focuses on building up young people both on and off the field.
