Big 22

NFL player from Charlotte sets example on, off football field at inaugural youth camp

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Through his football career, former Independence High School standout Jack Tocho has adapted to different positions on the field.

At his inaugural youth football camp on Saturday, the former Big 22 Player to Watch aimed to teach kids that same open-minded attitude.

On a muggy afternoon in mid-July, Tocho, now a member of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, returned to Independence High School to give back to the community's youth.

"The biggest takeaway I want for the kids to learn is adaptability and also being fundamentally sound,” Tocho said.

Tocho knows plenty about being adaptable and fundamentally sound.

(Jack Tocho)

As a sophomore in high school, he played linebacker. In college, at N.C. State, he moved to cornerback. Now, he plays safety for the Vikings.

“When I got drafted, they moved me to safety. So, last year was a lot of learning and just adapting and adjusting, just like I'm trying to teach the kids,” Tocho said.

At Saturday’s football camp, children from ages 8 to 14 years old admired every move made by the former Big 22 star, a time in his career he remembers fondly.

"It was a very prestigious honor going into my senior year,” Tocho said.

Tocho still remembers moments from his Big 22 media day.

"My dad always use to tell me that if the receiver catches the ball on you, that's a scholarship taken away from you,” he said. “Little things that I remember and just how big of a season that was after, and how much I had at stake. It just meant a lot to me. I'm just grateful that things turned out the way that they did."

Tocho said he didn’t attend any camps while he was growing up with football.

"When I was growing up, I didn't have this experience,” he said. “I didn't have anybody from Charlotte that made it to the NFL come back and give me a youth camp."

Tocho continues to be set an example off the field.

"I'm also talking to them about how that translates to the classroom,” Tocho said. “These coaches are all different, so they have different coaching styles, just like a teacher has different teaching styles."

Tocho’s teaching style is encouraging, being selfless and leading by example.

"I think it's very important for me to come back and give back to the same kids that are growing up, trying to follow the same path I am and just letting them know that everything is possible if you put in the right amount of effort,” Tocho said.

Tocho heads to his second NFL training camp with the Vikings in less than two weeks.