COCONUT CREEK — It has not been long since Xavier Restrepo was a high school underclassman, developing his skills on Monarch High’s football fields.
Three years into his college career at Miami, Restrepo returned to his former high school to host his first youth football camp on Saturday morning.
“I just love giving back to the community,” the Hurricanes receiver said. “Ever since I was a kid, I would always dream of going to college, NFL guys’ camps. Hanging around with some of these kids, it actually gives me more motivation than it gives them. … It’s super important. I feel like, having a little brother around this age, seeing that he follows everything I do, keeping the kids off the streets and allowing them to have fun with each other and build relationships that they’ll never forget is just super important.”
More than 200 children registered for Saturday’s camp, where they got the chance to learn from Restrepo and other coaches. Restrepo also brought a good friend with him from Coral Gables: Hurricanes starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.
“It means a lot,” said Van Dyke, who hosted a youth football camp in Connecticut last year. “He grew up in this community. He went to Monarch High School, so it’s cool to see him giving back to his community, helping these little kids out who look up to him and look up to ‘Canes football players.”
Restrepo, who also attended Deerfield Beach High and St. Thomas Aquinas, said he went to youth football camps hosted by Blanche Ely’s Patrick Peterson and Monarch’s Calvin Ridley when he was a kid.
“I just had so much fun, and hanging around guys who have made it, have been through the entire process,” Restrepo said. “It was just cool to see how they act around kids.”
Restrepo and Van Dyke will be at their own fall camps in a few weeks, as Miami will begin preseason camp next month. Restrepo said he is looking forward to building the Hurricanes’ team culture before the season begins.
“Just enhancing the team’s culture,” Restrepo said. “That’s the more important thing: just continuing to enhance the team culture and just grow as a team and be ready for this season.”
