Michigan offensive lineman Karsen Barnhart (52) tries to keep the backfield clear in the third quarter of their Big Ten football game against Penn State at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, on Saturday, November 28, 2020. Penn State won the game, 27-17. Michigan is now 2-4 on the season. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

PAW PAW, MI – It’s not every day the small Van Buren County town of Paw Paw hosts a Big Ten championship-winning quarterback, two cogs in college football’s best offensive line and a blue-chip defensive end, but that’s the type of talent that will descend upon Southwest Michigan later this month.

Class of 2019 Paw Paw graduate and current University of Michigan offensive lineman Karsen Barnhart and three of his teammates – quarterback Cade McNamara, offensive lineman Trevor Keegan and defensive lineman Braiden McGregor – will host a youth football camp at the high school from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 14.

The camp is open for third graders to incoming eighth graders, and registration is $30. Prospective campers can pay with cash or check at the event or pay in advance using the Venmo code @Karsen-Barnhart. Those who prepay with Venmo are encouraged to include the camper’s name and age in the Venmo memo area.

In addition to the four reigning Big Ten champions, 2021 Paw Paw graduates Connor Hindenach, Kolby Hindenach, who both play at Michigan Tech, and Jake Caron, an offensive lineman at Concordia University, will help coach the camp, as will new Red Wolves varsity coach Dennis Strey and assistant coach Brad Newell.

“I think just the overall experience these kids are going to have being around collegiate athletes, it’s pretty exciting for them, especially with the caliber of collegiate athletes we have coming in here,” Newell said. “I mean, you’ve got the Big Ten championship quarterback, two guys that were part of the offensive line that was the best in college football, and then McGregor was a five-star, highly recruited athlete and should see the field quite a bit this year.”

McNamara is certainly the most recognizable name on a national level, after the senior quarterback led the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship and a spot in the 2021 College Football Playoff, but Keegan is also a rising star in Ann Arbor following a junior season in which he started 11 of 13 games and was part of a unit that received the Joe Moore Award, which is given to the nation’s best offensive line.

McGregor, considered the nation’s No. 26 prospect in the class of 2020, was the highest-ranked recruit of the four, and Barnhart is certainly the most well-known around Paw Paw, after playing four years of varsity football for the Red Wolves.

“He’s been a big part of Paw Paw and one of the highest-rated recruits to come out of here since (former Western Michigan and NFL defensive end) Jason Babin, and obviously, going to the University of Michigan, probably the biggest school that anybody out of Paw Paw has gone to,” Newell said of Barnhart. “It’s pretty cool that he’s bringing some of his teammates to interact with the local kids.”

Dedicating his time to youth football in Paw Paw is nothing new for Barnhart, who coached Rocket football after varsity practices wrapped up during his high school days, and he met with the Red Wolves a couple times during the 2021 season to offer encouragement.

“Just to give you an example about Karsen, last year he sends me a text and says, ‘Hey, I got a surprise for your offensive lineman,’ and then he comes into the school and gives them a pep talk before a game,” said Strey, who served as an assistant under Matt Stephens before taking over the program this year.

“He loves Paw Paw; his family loves Paw Paw; they’re still a big part in the football program, and Karsen wants to be involved as much as possible. Just thinking about last year, there was a time when I said, ‘Hey, can you talk to some of my offensive linemen?’ Well, when he was in town, he met with them and then worked out with them for over an hour.”

The three-hour camp, which is open to kids from all over the area, will start off with an address from Barnhart, followed by skill and fundamental drills for every offensive and defensive position, a punt pass and kick competition, a timed 40-yard dash and pro-shuttle drill, before wrapping up with an autograph session.

“It’ll be an eventful three hours, and it’s going to go fast,” Strey said.

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