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On Friday, Dominik was hanging with the enemy. Former Buckeyes James Laurinaitis and Brian Hartline have worked the camp all four years of its existence. This year they were joined by two OSU holdovers -- safety Kurt Coleman and wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher.

"The nice thing is interacting with the kids where football is still just a game," said Laurinaitis, a three-time All-America linebacker taken 35th overall by the St. Louis Rams in this year's NFL draft. "There's a little bit of the business side here, but we've been playing this game since we were as old as these kids, so it's nice to be able to come back to that."

Lex coach B.J. Payne has seen his camp grow from 40 kids the first year to 250 this weekend.

He blew his whistle every 20 minutes during the three-hour session, with kids scurrying from one of the seven stations to the next.

"A couple of years ago, we had 115 kids here and 110 of them wanted to be a linebacker because Laurinaitis was here," Payne said. "Now we make sure we have the seven stations to make sure everyone gets coached up in all phases of the game.

"When I was little, I was a receiver, then in junior high I was a fullback/linebacker and in high school I was a defensive lineman. Some of these kids here might think they're receivers, but their bodies will develop. That's why we teach them different skills here. If I had played one position, I'd have been in trouble. I would have been the slowest receiver in the world."

Laurinaitis, reunited in St. Louis with former OSU teammates Larry Grant and Antonio Pittman, said he won't be playing this season with a chip on his shoulder even though he slipped out of the first round in this year's draft.

"I want to prove to myself that I can play at this level," Laurinaitis said. "I don't think too high or too low about what people think. My personal goals will always help me overcome whatever people think of me."

Annual Lex youth football camp brings out the 'kids' in OSU stars | mansfieldnewsjournal.com | Mansfield News Journal