Harper Woods star Dakota Guerrant's NIL-era youth camp aims to give back

“That’s his village,” Sound Mind Sound Body CEO Curtis Blackwell said. “These are his closest friends, teammates, family, and guys he’s trained with.”

Guerrant, who holds 50 scholarship offers and plans to commit before his senior year in July, made the camp possible. His idea was sparked by a TikTok video showing him training younger kids.

“One day I had these kids doing up-downs and called it DG Academy,” Guerrant said.

With help from his mother, Shalamar, his father, Gerald, and Blackwell, Guerrant turned that idea into a full-scale camp.

While other high school stars — such as 2026 Mr. Michigan Football Player of the Year Corey Sadler Jr. —have hosted camps before, Guerrant’s stood out.

Before the NIL era, camps hosted by high school and college athletes often had to be free, with families covering costs out of pocket. But after Guerrant and his family filed a 31-page complaint against the Michigan High School Athletic Assocation — ultimately helping clear the way for Michigan high school athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness — opportunities like this became possible.

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With more than 215,000 Instagram followers, Guerrant leveraged his brand to create the DAGOATA camp, named after his nickname.

The camp was supported by sponsorships from Sound Mind Sound Body, South Florida Express, Battle Sports, Equity Sports, the Southfield Falcons, Harper Woods High School, Captured Agency, and the Doors of Success Foundation. Even the water was supplied by Recover 180. The event took place at Chandler Park Fieldhouse on Detroit’s east side that regularly hosts Sound Mind Sound Body events.

The timing was also unique. Guerrant hosted the camp at the end of the school year, during 7-on-7 season, while also taking college visits nearly every weekend.

He aimed to recreate the environment that helped shape him into the No. 1-ranked player in Michigan’s 2027 class and a Mr. Michigan Football finalist.

During his youth football days, Guerrant trained with Gardner as his quarterback.

“Devin Gardner told Dakota, ‘You’re going to win the Heisman one day,’” Gerald Guerrant said.

Guerrant grew up watching, training with, and modeling his game after players like Hill (Detroit King), King, and Ceasar (both starred at East English Village), while also seeing his father and Oden coach them during their high school years. He later played alongside Jacob Oden during his freshman season at Harper Woods.

“This is where I came from,” Guerrant said. “I was one of these kids. I know what it feels like to be at a camp looking up to players like this.”

“We grew up going to camps like that,” Hendrix said. “The Will Gholstons, the DPJs (Donovan Peoples-Jones) — those were the camps we grew up on. To see one of my closest friends do something like this is a great feeling.”

The experience also inspired Hendrix to begin coaching running backs during the offseason. He owns a clothing brand, Overlord Garments, featuring the phrase “Don’t forget who taught you,” and plans to pass along what he and Guerrant learned together while playing for the Southfield Falcons.

At the end of the event, Guerrant handed out autographed cleats, footballs, mouthguards, and wristbands. He also took selfies and signed autographs for the campers. Every participant wore DAGOATA jerseys, while coaches sported DG1 Academy shirts.

“I didn’t realize kids really enjoyed seeing me like that,” Guerrant said. “It might make me move a little differently now.”

For Blackwell, Guerrant has set a new standard.

“Dakota has created the blueprint,” Blackwell said. “Any high school or youth athlete — whether in basketball, volleyball, track, or swimming — can look at this and say, ‘This is a model I can follow.’”

For Guerrant’s mother, the camp meant more than football.

“This was his way of giving back to Detroit for everything the city has given him,” Shalamar Guerrant said. “It’s about showing student-athletes how to become entrepreneurs and philanthropists.”

Tarohn Finley is a freelance writer.

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Harper Woods' Dakota Guerrant's NIL-era youth camp aims to give back