By Brendan Samuels
LocalSportsJournal.com

MUSKEGON – Kalil Pimpleton is no stranger to being in the spotlight.

Whether it was in high school as a Muskegon Big Red, at Central Michigan University or a member of the Detroit Lions during HBO’s Hard Knocks in 2022, Pimpleton has always been under a microscope.

The one thing that’s kept him grounded is his humble approach to the game and the former teammates he’s surrounded himself with. That humbleness is evident when Pimpleton talks about the chance he has in front of him as a member of the New York Giants. NFL training camp just around the corner.

“I’m just looking forward to competing, that’s one of my favorite things to do,” Pimpleton said. “Regardless of the outcome, I just want to learn from the best and continue to grow as a man within the sport and outside of it.

“I have expectations (for the upcoming NFL season), but there’s a thousand other guys out there trying to make an NFL roster. I take what they give me and do my best with it.”

Photo/Brendan Samuels

Pimpleton’s road to the NFL wasn’t the easiest and he acknowledges that part of what got him to where he is now are the men he looked up to as a kid in Muskegon. One of those guys was DeShaun Thrower, a key member of the back-to-back state champion teams in 2012 and 2013 and a former Mr. Football runner-up. Thrower was just one of many to join Pimpleton on Friday and Saturday for the Elite Skillz Camp at Hackley Field.

“I had role models coming up. Watching guys like DeShaun Thrower and my relative Jared Pittman just grind along with the passion of coach Fairfield – that was my inspiration growing up,” Pimpleton said. “Not everybody has guys like that to look up to, which is part of the reason we put on this camp. We want to give those kids the confidence in themselves to know they can do whatever they set their minds to.”

For the third straight year, kids flooded Hackley Field to run drills and learn at the hands of coaches and players who have had success at the next level. An abundance of wisdom was handed down to 7-year olds all the way to high schoolers.

The Elite Skillz Camp has gone through some changes and the biggest one came this year as Pimpleton and former Muskegon and CMU teammate JaCorey Sullivan added a second day focused on strengthening kids mentally. The first day gave middle school and high school aged kids the chance to ask questions and focused on the hardships of day-to-day life.

“Your day-to-day life is different from what you face on the field,” Pimpleton said. “What you face at home or on the streets or with your peers is different. For a lot of people the, football field is a getaway and that includes me, JaCorey and our teammates and coaches.

“What we wanted to share with (the kids) is the knowledge and wisdom it takes to handle those hardships off the field. What you learn on the field, allows you to understand how you can handle your situation off the field.”

Giving back to his community is of great importance to Pimpleton, but so is keeping his own career on track. That starts on Wednesday when he’ll report to the Giants’ training camp in East Rutherford, NJ.

Pimpleton has already experienced the same thing as a rookie in Detroit, so he’s hoping an extra year under his belt will work to his benefit. It also helps that he’s been with the Giants’ in some way since September of last year.

“I have a lot more understanding now and know exactly what training camp is and what it takes to be a professional,” Pimpleton said. “I’m hungry and just ready to get back out there and show what I can do.”

Photos by LSJ photographer Brendan Samuels