THOMASVILLE – A former Thomas County Central football standout and current NFL player is ready to give back to the community that helped set him on a path to stardom.

Austin Bryant will once again host his football camp at the Jackets’ Nest on Saturday, lasting from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration is set for 8 a.m.

“It’s an honor,” said Bryant, who will host the camp for the fourth year. “I owe a lot of what I have done, who I became to my hometown. I’m just blessed and grateful that I’m in a position to pay it forward to the next generation of athletes that are coming through Thomasville, Thomas County and all the surrounding areas.”

Bryant, a current free agent, has played in the NFL for six seasons, starting with the Detroit Lions in 2019. That followed an impressive collegiate career with the Clemson Tigers and prep career with Thomas County Central. Before that, though, Bryant, was a young child aspiring to become a professional athlete. That’s what led him to attend sports camps as a kid, and why he wants to help the next generation of football players.

“I can think back to when Charlie Ward (Jr.) actually hosted his basketball camp in Thomasville. I would go every year, and it just meant so much to see somebody from your same environment and your same hometown do something that you aspire to do,” Bryant said. “I always told myself that when God blesses me to make it to that next step and next stage in life that I would do the same for kids coming behind me.”

The camp is for ages 6 to 17.