For Georgia linebackers Raylen Wilson, Chris Cole and Justin Williams, giving back to the community carries every bit as much weight as a win on a fall Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
The three spent Friday afternoon with 92 grade-school kids at a back-to-school event at the H.T. Edwards Boys & Girls Club in Athens. They talked and danced with the kids, handed out UGA-licensed backpacks, and shared some pizza.
All of the giveaways came from more than 130 community donations, part of an effort organized by Wilson’s agency, Excel Sports Management, to help local kids get ready for the school year.
“I feel like it was a great opportunity for us to come out here to give back to the kids because somebody did it for us, and I feel like it’s always good to return the favor,” Wilson said. “This is just a little thing that we did. You can see that on their faces. It’s priceless.”
Putting a smile on every kid’s face was the whole point, all three players told DawgNation. They remember being in those same shoes once, looking up at local athletes like they were superheroes.
Williams, a junior from Conroe, Texas, sees events like this as a way to push back on the idea that the football team doesn’t care about the community.
“We do care about the community around us, and just so thankful that they come out to every game day and support us,” Williams said. “So we just thought it would be time to give back.”
For Cole, this kind of thing is a year-round habit. The Salem, Virginia, native runs a youth football exposure camp in his hometown every May, along with a back-to-school drive his mother still helps run. During the holidays, he puts on a Thanksgiving turkey drive and a Christmas fundraiser at Blue Station, handing out toys and spending time with the kids.
“Trying to give back to them and trying to just help them out and just try and be their mentor,” Cole said. “This is like nothing new to me, and I love giving back to the kids.”
As for the day’s highlights, Wilson got a kick out of taking a few friendly punches to the stomach and hoisting the kids up in the air. Cole and Williams leaned into the dancing and TikTok-making — with each one insisting he was the better performer.
