Schools
Summer Vacation Travel Means Work For McClendon
The strong safety for the Boca Ciega Pirates is doing what a lot of students are doing this time of the year: traveling. But McClendon's travel means working hard at various football camps.
The summer has barely started for high school students and already Elijah McClendon is taking advantage.
He's hanging in the Carolinas these days. But, no, you won't find him at the beach or climbing mountains or enjoying some picturesque valley. McClendon is toiling away at football camps.
Thursday McClendon was at Chapel Hill, the home of the North Carolina Tar Heels. Wednesday McClendon was on the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. There, he got to chat with Gamecocks head coach and Florida Gators legend Steve Spurrier.
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McClendon remembered when Spurrier built the Gators program to national championship status and was awed that the "Ole' Ball Coach" took time to chat with him.
"Coach Spurrier? He's a nice, cool, humble guy," McClendon said of the former Gators Heisman Trophy winner. "He expects you to work hard and play hard every down. He just likes hard work."
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McClendon was not as impressed with another Sunshine State football icon, Butch Davis. It was Davis who rebuilt the Hurricanes of Miami but, like Spurrier, took an ill-fated detour by jumping to the NFL before returning to the college ranks.
"I shook his hand but I didn't get to speak with him," McClendon said.
Part of the reason McClendon is going to all of these camps is visibility. He's hoping he catches the eyes of some coaches to give him much more of an option of what college to choose.
So far, McClendon's strategy is paying off. He currently has four offers to play college football: Middle Tennessee State, Western Michigan, Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina Central.
McClendon hopes when he returns home, there will be many more.
Despite the hard work and long days, McClendon seems to be having a blast doing what he loves: playing football, meeting new people and experiencing other areas of the country.
"This is actually a blessing," McClendon said. "Not too many people are blessed with talent. Not too many people get to do this. You just have to be yourself and you have to stay humble. Be your best and compete every day."