Tyler Buchner among Notre Dame football players to take part in TUFF youth camp
Many of the most prominent current Notre Dame football players will take part in a charitable cause next month. The TAKEOFF TOUR powered by TUFF is headed to South Bend, Ind.
TUFF, The Uniform Funding Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by former Notre Dame walk-on Adam Shibley, who started the organization in 2018 when he was a walk-on at Michigan. TUFF provides equipment and mentorship to underserved youth athletes.
Sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner, senior defensive end Isaiah Foskey, senior cornerback Cam Hart, fifth-year senior linebacker Bo Bauer, senior linebacker Marist Liufau are among the Notre Dame players who will be running the TAKEOFF TOUR’s stop at St. Joseph High School in South Bend on June 11.
The camp is open to fourth through 12th graders. Fourth through eighth graders are slotted for 2-4 p.m. Ninth through 12th graders are scheduled for 6-8 p.m. The only requirement to register is at least a $1 donation to TUFF, which can be made here. Campers will be treated to photo opportunities, a t-shirt and the chance to win awards and prizes. South Bend Orthopedics is helping to cover the overhead costs.
Everything else is out of the goodness of the hearts of Shibley and the Notre Dame players.
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TUFF has raised nearly $400,000 to serve over 4,000 student-athletes since Shibley got it going in 2018. TUFF’s board of directors includes FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson and NBC Sports Football Night In America host Maria Taylor.
“It’s been a really great project that I’ve been able to work on with teammates at Michigan and Notre Dame,” Shibley told BlueandGold.com last fall.
The TAKEOFF TOUR starts in Ann Arbor, Mich., on June 5 with a camp that will be hosted by Wolverines football players including quarterback Cade McNamara, wide receiver Ronnie Bell, safety RJ Moten, linebacker Jaylen Harrell, tight end Joel Honigford, safety Caden Kolesar, offensive lineman Raheem Anderson, wide receiver Jake Thaw and more.
Then it’s off to South Bend. After that, Shibley and company will head to Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland on June 26 for a camp put on by a collection of Big Ten players including Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and Michigan State defensive end Jeff Pietrowski. Finally, there will be a camp in Mullins, South Carolina, with Gamecock players including wide receiver Xavier Legette and cornerback Cam Smith.
Shibley only spent one season in a Notre Dame uniform, and it was cut short by a shoulder injury requiring surgery. But after graduating from Notre Dame with a master’s in management this month, he’s still thankful for the opportunity to give back to a community that has meant a lot to him in just a year’s time.
“The first day when I sat in on a team meeting when I first got here in the summer, the culture was sticking out right away,” Shibley said. “The guys here are so focused and determined to be great not just in football but in everything they do. High-character people. It’s really a brotherhood. That’s stressed day in and day out.”
