Todd Kelly Jr., Tennessee players honor Zaevion Dobson at fifth annual Camp 24

Todd Kelly Jr. and four Tennessee football players showed up for Camp 24 on July 11, the fifth time the event has taken place, to honor the memory of Zaevion Dobson, a student-athlete from Fulton High School whose life ended in tragedy. The gathering was built around the idea that football can be more than a game, offering structure, mentorship, and continuity for people who are still grieving and for younger players learning what it means to represent a community.

Camp 24 is closely tied to Kelly’s personal relationship to the Dobson family and his ongoing effort to remain connected to football through service. In the report covering the event, Kelly is described as using Camp 24 as a way to stay linked to both the sport and to Zaevion Dobson’s legacy, with the annual camp serving as a consistent meeting point for players who want to be part of something bigger than the typical offseason grind.

This year’s camp also reflected Tennessee’s involvement beyond the weight room and practice field. Kelly was joined by four current Tennessee players, emphasizing the program’s role as a local and regional presence. The choice to bring college athletes into a youth/community setting underscores how major programs often try to translate coaching and development into direct action, particularly when the purpose is memorial and community-first rather than purely competitive.

While Camp 24 is presented as an event rooted in remembrance, it also functions as an organizing framework that keeps young players engaged in football culture during the summer. For organizations built around athletics, summer camps can be where habits are formed and where expectations are set. Here, the expectations are tied to honor and character, with the camp acting as a conduit for Kelly’s message about persistence and meaning in the face of loss.

The fifth annual running of Camp 24 matters because it shows the durability of the Dobson tribute. Memorial events can fade after the first year, but the continued scheduling of Camp 24 indicates that the family’s desire to keep Zaevion Dobson’s memory active has sustained support. It also shows how a college program’s connection can evolve into an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time appearance.

Tennessee’s participation through multiple seasons, at least as characterized by this annual recap, places the event within the broader landscape of college football’s community role. Programs frequently highlight community service, but the context of Camp 24 is distinct, since the work is anchored in honoring a specific local athlete. In a sport that can feel impersonal to outsiders, memorial camps like this can add a personal edge, reminding players, parents, and coaches why the sport connects in the first place.