Lauren Halpern
•6/27/2026
IMMOKALEE, Fla. (WINK) — NFL running back D'Ernest Johnson returned to his hometown to host a free youth football camp for kids chasing the same dream he once had.
Johnson, who plays for the New England Patriots, brought his professional experience back to the field where his own journey began. The camp gave young athletes the chance to train with an NFL player and learn from someone who grew up in their community.
"It feels great, you know," Johnson said. "Just always coming back to your hometown and just seeing all the kids be excited at your back, you know, it feels great just to be back here."
The event wasn't just about football drills and technique. Johnson drew inspiration from his own childhood experiences attending camps hosted by Edgerrin James, a player he looked up to while growing up in Immokalee.
"Me growing up, I looked up to Edgerrin James, so he threw football camps, and I always went to all his football camps, so for me to be able to come back and do the same that he did, it was just a blessing, just to get these kids hope and motivation that they can make it out of this community as well, just like I did," Johnson said.
For Immokalee High School football players Youvensley Methelus and Kendrick Perry, seeing Johnson's success made their own goals feel more attainable. The two players said witnessing someone from their community reach the NFL showed them what's possible with hard work.
"It just shows that anything is possible," Methelus and Perry said. "If you put the work in, you can make it out just like him. Yeah, it's really different hearing about it, but when you really see the videos and pictures of how they used to be, just like us, it makes you want to, you know, get to the next level."
Some campers came to sharpen their footwork while others simply wanted to meet someone they watched on Sundays. But every drill carried a lesson rooted in community values.
"It shaped me a lot, you know," Johnson said. "It just taught me what hard work is, and nothing's not gonna be given to you. Gotta go out there and earn everything that you want."
The field may look different than when Johnson wore an Immokalee jersey, but the message he left behind continues to pass through generations. Methelus said the camp taught him lessons that extend beyond the game.
"How to help out your community," Methelus said. "It ain't about football, it's about helping out the younger, the people that are in need."
