DELRAY BEACH – FAU running back Devin Singletary had a simple message for the 50 or so kids at Saturday’s Greg Bryant Jr. S.O.E. Sports Camp who hope to someday play college football.
“I’m just letting them know it’s possible,” he said.
Singletary, known to most at the free single day camp by the nickname “Motor,” returned to Delray Beach-American Heritage as one of it’s most successful graduates.
Along with the message, Singletary attended the camp as a means of honoring the memory of an equally talented teammate whose life ended violently last May on I-95.
Greg Bryant Jr., who originally played at Notre Dame after graduating from American Heritage but was in the process of transferring to Alabama-Birmingham, and a passenger in the car he was driving were fatally shot following a night out a little more than a year ago. Declared a homicide, his killer has yet to be caught.
Singletary, who graduated from American Heritage three years after Bryant and recently completed a record-breaking freshman year at Florida Atlantic, considered Bryant a mentor.
“It was heartbreaking,” Singletary said. “I was hurt. I took it real bad. But he’s in a better place. He still can ball through me.”
Singletary helped coach young players during Saturday morning’s camp, organized by Greg Bryant Sr. – a coach for the American Heritage football team. The S.O.E in the camp’s name stands for Success Over Everything – a motto that the Stallions, past and present, try to live by.
FAU kicker Greg Joseph, also a high school teammate of Bryant’s, remembers Bryant as a player who was always smiling, both on and off the field.
Without any potential kickers in the group of campers, Joseph helped with some of the soccer activities held on an adjacent field. He didn’t mind surrendering a Saturday to return to his high school campus.
“It was more to be here to show support to his dad because Greg was his dad’s world and it was extremely tough to see his dad like that,” Joseph said.
Both Singletary and Joseph worked the camp while wearing FAU football shirts.
“Coach Greg wanted us to wear this,” Joseph said. “He wanted the kids to come up and talk to us about college ball, how we’ve done it, where we’ve been. He wanted us to rep our school and colors. It was something I was glad to do.”
Bryant, Sr. appreciated his former players returning to the field where they helped lead the Stallions to several deep postseason runs.
“They were great,” Bryant, Sr. said. “They did everything that they were taught. At this point, they are coaches. They are playing college ball right now. Their knowledge of this game has extended probably just as much as mine, now.”
Former FAU defensive back Tevin Homer, who signed a free agent contract with the Washington Redskins last month, also attended. Homer didn’t play for American Heritage but hails from nearby Boynton Beach.
Former standout Delray Beach-Atlantic cornerback Brandon Flowers, currently a free agent whose nine-year NFL career includes stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers, also addressed the campers.
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