'El Paso is a special place': Will Hernandez excited to come back for free camp, spring game
Will Hernandez spent five of his 28 years in El Paso and UTEP, less than 20% of his life, but that time had an outsized impact on making who is he now: a guard for the Arizona Cardinals about to start his eighth year in the NFL and one of UTEP's most distinguished alums.
Hernandez returns to El Paso when he can, which will include April 20 for UTEP's spring game when he's the honorary coach, then on June 21 when he is running a free football camp at Hanks High School for local youth.
He's a native of Las Vegas, where he spends offseasons now, but El Paso is always close to his heart.
"El Paso is a special place," Hernandez said on a Zoom call with local media to promote his free camp. "I wasn't born there, but I truly grew up and developed as a human being and as a player in El Paso, Texas.
"I got there as a 17-year-old kid and left as a graduate, 23-years-old and into my professional career. UTEP and El Paso was that bridge for me. It holds a very special place in my heart, I consider it my second home. I tell people I was raised in El Paso, Texas.
"I love my Chico's Tacos. That's another reason we're having it in El Paso."
Before his camp will be the spring game where earlier this week he was announced as an honorary coach, making him one of several football alums to connect with new coach Scotty Walden.
"Scotty took the initiative, asked for my number, gave me a call and asked me straight up," said Hernandez, who was the 34th overall pick in the 2018 draft after earning second-team All-American as a senior at UTEP. "It's not complicated, he literally picked up the phone and called me. I appreciate that.
"We don't know each other, but he has a vision, he has something he wants to get done. Without even knowing the guy I can feel his energy through the phone call we had, I can feel his sincerity through the video he makes on social media.
"How many coaches have you seen paint their whole body and go to a basketball game trying to get the morale up and energy up? That alone I respect. I respect what Scotty's doing. I like it, I'm excited for it and I want to be a part of it."
As for his camp, it will include several of his former UTEP teammates, including Derek Elmendorff and Bobby DeHaro, and several of his NFL teammates through the years. It will also include more than football.
"I want the camp to be productive for these kids," Hernandez said. "I want them to learn something football related, and I also want them to learn stuff they can use off the field for the rest of their lives in whatever area they go into, whether it's football or not.
"I'm excited to be able to bring people who helped me through my life to get me to where I am now and be able to introduce them to these kids. I'm also going to be talking to these kids off the field, before we start, having serious discussions, 'What it is I want to do with my life, what I want to create for myself. What I want to do for my family.'
"This isn't your normal, typical, let's run through some drills then everybody gets foot and that's it. I want to do something big and special for these kids."
That's his way of giving back something to El Paso, which did big and special things for the eighth-year NFL pro.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Will Hernandez excited to come back for free camp, UTEP spring game
