The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1468055
46 THE WOLVERINE JUNE / JULY 2022 BY EJ HOLLAND T he sun has yet to rise on the east side of Detroit. Headlights from three gigantic char- ter buses provide some much-needed light while hundreds of kids try to figure out where they need to be. With snow flurries pouring down and frustration settling in from a bunch of people that woke up way too early, Curtis Blackwell takes control. Arguably the most influential recruit- ing figure in the Motor City, Blackwell, co-founder of Sound Mind Sound Body, speaks with an intimidating yet sooth- ing voice. It's hard to describe, but it certainly commands respect. Soon af- ter, the buses are loaded without much issue. Next stop: Richmond, Ky. Youth players, elite recruits, high school coaches, parents, volunteers and everybody in between are set to make the near six-hour voyage to Eastern Kentucky University for a college visit. After that, it's off to Gatlinburg, Tenn., for a club 7-on-7 tournament. "We've been mentoring young stu- dent-athletes for 20 years now and helping them get ready for college," Blackwell said. "It's all about college readiness and making sure young people have the skills to survive on a college campus. "When we first started doing camps, it was for exposure and offers. Now, we want our guys to be ready when they get there. We try to travel around, compete, visit and network." Sound Mind Sound Body was formed in 2004 while Blackwell and ex-Mich- igan Wolverine defensive back Deon Johnson were on the staff at Detroit King. At the time, metro Detroit was extremely under-recruited, and expo- sure was hard to come by. Johnson recalls putting together the first-ever Detroit Football All-Star Academy camp on a soccer field littered with crabgrass close to Wayne State in downtown Detroit — because the uni- versity denied access to the football stadium. Around 50 kids showed up and con- tinued to come back. Tutoring and mentorship services were eventually provided, and the organization adopted the name Sound Mind Sound Body. "We noticed that there was a need for a vehicle to get colleges in here and kids exposed to the college football world," Johnson said. "Then came the idea of Sound Mind Sound Body and the foot- ball camps. "The sound mind part is getting these dudes to realize you're going to have to use your mind three times as much as you're going to use the physical part. That will help you achieve what you want when you also have a sound body. We went from doing Saturday workouts and a tutoring company to what it is now." Now, Sound Mind Sound Body wel- comes more than 200 local kids every winter. The academic side has only become more of a focal point. Some of Sound Mind Sound Body's biggest stars such as 2024 prospects Jacob Oden and Jeremiah Beasley boast almost-perfect GPAs in the classroom. While Sound Mind Sound Body still runs local camps and events, it's also branched into the club 7v7 scene. Sound FOOTBALL RECRUITING Putting In The Work With Detroit's 'Sound Mind Sound Body' Program Sound Mind Sound Body has been mentoring aspiring young football student-athletes from youth level through high school since 2004. The program not only creates the opportunity for hundreds of players in metro Detroit to be seen and recruited, it also helps prepare them for the academic side of college life. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND