2023 SEC Football Community Service Team announced
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Nov. 29, 2023) - The Southeastern Conference on Wednesday announced the Community Service Team for the sport of football prior to the SEC Championship Game to be played Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The SEC names a Community Service Team for each of its 21-league sponsored sports, looking to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to his community through superior service efforts.
The 2023 SEC Football Community Service Team is as follows:
Malachi Moore, DB, Alabama
Moore has accumulated more than 20 total hours of community service this fall. He partnered with Tuscaloosa Education Foundation's "Reading Allies" Program and works with an assigned student each week on reading and writing. Other community service activities include: Habitat for Humanity, the VA Medical Center of Tuscaloosa, partnering with local city schools to promote Read Across America and Red Ribbon Week, mentoring Ford Bertram of Trussville, Ala., who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Moore used his NIL to raise money for Ford's Gofundme. He has also been a mentor for Henrietta Murray, who is blind and was diagnosed with a mitochondria disease. Moore has made monetary contributions for her medical trips around the country.
Cam Little, PK, Arkansas
Cam Little has been involved with Down Syndrome Connection of Northwest Arkansas. He has donated money for every field goal he makes. Little also participated in the organization's annual walk to raise awareness and funds. In 2022, a local company donated $25,000 live on Good Morning America to Down Syndrome Connection of Northwest Arkansas on Cam's behalf due to his dedication to the organization.
Elijah McAllister, DE, Auburn
McAllister was voted team captain at Auburn and at Vanderbilt. Pursuing his Ph.D. in education, he helps young people and families in Auburn and at home in New Jersey through his All For One, One For All Foundation, sponsoring food banks, school supply giveaways, sports camps, holiday shopping trips and a number of read-aloud and motivational speaking appearances. He was a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and a nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy.
Derek Wingo, LB, Florida
Wingo participated in both GatorMade trips, which served as an opportunity to conduct community service outside of the United States. The trip to Greece in 2022 included 40 hours of service as members of the football team partnered with the non-profit organization Smile of the Child that helps orphaned youth in Athens, Greece. The second trip was to South Africa. During his time in the country, Wingo and his teammates spent 52 hours partnering with Rise Above Development in Lavender Hill Community to establish water tanks, irrigation lines and provide meal distribution to disadvantaged youth programs. They also partnered with Project Playground in the Guguelthu Community to help build safe places for children to play. Wingo also participated in countless community service efforts with organizations in and around Gainesville including Bread of the Mighty, the St. Francis House, Education Foudnation, YMCA and the Ronald McDonald House.
Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
McConkey's community service activities include: Camp Rainbow visitation, time spent volunteering at Elks Aidmore Therapeutic Foster Care, helping raise funds for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and Georgia Division of Family & Children Services, volunteer with Books For Keeps, giving time to local schools through the Read Across America program, active member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, food bank volunteer, hospital visitations within the Athens/Clarke County community, participant in Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer Golf Tournament and golf tournament for The David Pollack Foundation, Extra Special People "Bulldogs and Buddies" Practice visitation and ESP Big Ball Fore All, helping with collections for "Hunger Bowl" Competition, UGA L.E.A.D. Member, assisted in number efforts for Dawgs for Pups, visited and helped prepare meals at Athens Homeless Shelter Sandwich Prep, helped conduct Reading Clinics at area schools, Bigger Vision Assistance, helped lead drive for WiFi hotspots for Athens/Clarke County Schools, and assistance with Winter Coat Drive.
J.J. Weaver, LB, Kentucky
J.J Weaver has been very active in his hometown community of Louisville, Ky., as well as the Lexington, Ky., community since 2015. In high school, he created a foundation called "15 for Freddie" to honor his grandfather, Freddie Weaver. The foundation visited and helped feed the homeless. That foundation morphed into "The Perfect Fit" when he came to UK as a freshman, inspired by his six-finger right hand and polydactyly, a condition in which a person or animal has more than five fingers or toes on one, or on each, hand or foot. "The Perfect Fit" has organized several community service projects, including one in 2023 called "The Perfect Fit Bike Drive" for which he donated 111 free bicycles for kids. In 2022, he organized a free football camp for kids, and created an event called "Back to School with J.J." for which he bought backpacks, school supplies and offered free haircuts for 100 children. This fall, with help from the Kentucky Center for Grieving Children and Families, he started a peer-led grief counseling group for the UK football team, the first of its kind. Plans are already underway to expand "The Perfect Fit Support Group" and offer the peer-led support group to the broader UK student body in 2024.
Mekhi Wingo, DL, LSU
Wingo served as a host for the Boys & Girls Club on a recent visit to the LSU Football Operations Center, and he participated in Literacy Fest at McKinley Senior High School where he addressed the students about the importance of academics as well as being a well-rounded person. He joined LSU teammates at the Baton Rouge Food Bank in August as they packed nearly 8,000 pounds of water, 32,000 pounds of food - the equivalent of nearly 27,000 meals for the less fortunate in the Baton Rouge area. Wingo has distributed food for victims at the Domestic Violence Shelter. At a community service event at the Citrus Bowl, he befriended a young girl and noticed her shoes were too small. He took it upon himself to find out what size shoes she wore and purchased her a new pair. As part of LSU's football leadership, he helps coordinate visits with sick children and the team. Recently he was part of a group of players who hosted a 9-year-old boy with lymphoblastic lymphoma. Mekhi and his teammates presented the child with an LSU jersey, took pictures with the family and gave him a tour of the football facility. Wingo serves as LSU's representative on the SEC Football Leadership Council. The council travels to the SEC headquarters to meet with the Commissioner and others around the league to discuss their sport and the student-athlete experience. He was one of 11 LSU football players to Study Abroad in May. The group traveled to Senegal where they learned about the culture, participated in community service events, and engaged in activities with the youth of Senegal. The 8-day trip is the first of its kind for LSU football players to participate in.
J.J. Pegues, DL, Ole Miss
Pegues was a Wuerffel Trophy nominee, AFCA Good Works Team nominee and SAAC Member. His community service activities include: JJ Pegues School Supply Give Away (community-wide Back to School Drive in which he distributed school supplies for elementary-aged students in the local community); Adopt A Basket (helped collect Thanksgiving baskets to families in need throughout the Lafayette-Oxford-University Community ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday); Feed The Sip (helped collect and donate over 7,000 non-perishable food items to children in Tunica and Quitman counties); Water Collection Drive (assist in the Jackson, Miss., water crisis, helped collect water to families in need throughout the Jackson area); Reading with the Rebels (visited local elementary schools to read to classrooms); Boys and Girls Club After School Program (visited the local Boys and Girls Club to talk and engage in interactive activities with the students); CASA Back to School Event (helped prepare foster students for the start of the school year by distributing school supplies and other needs); Rolling Fork, Miss., Tornado Relief (helped collect over 6,000 non-perishable food items and hygiene products for the Mississippi Tornado Relief project), among others.
Mike Wright, QB, Mississippi State
Mike Wright immediately hit the ground running and jumped at numerous opportunities to give back to the Starkville community. When Wright got to campus last spring, he wasted no time getting involved, racking up nearly 30 hours of community service time. His efforts to give back didn't stop once the season started, as he volunteered almost 20 hours this fall. Wright leads the team in community service hours and various community service events he has participated in. Wright's growing list of community service events this season includes participating in Starkville Strong, Boys and Girls Club of Starkville, Habitat for Humanity, Henderson Ward Golden Spoon, Emerson Elementary Reading, Learning Center - Elevate Program, and Partnership Car Dropoff. Wright has helped the Starkville community in many ways as part of his community service. Some of his efforts within the community have focused on providing an efficient support system for those in Oktibbeha County while working with Starkville Strong. While working with the local schools, Wright has been able to read to full classrooms of kids while also interacting with the students at the start of the day while participating in the car dropoff line.
Darius Robinson, DL, Missouri
Darius Robinson recently started the Darius Robinson Helping Hands Foundation - a non-profit focused on providing assistance in the local community from youth to seniors who have a need. He wore 'Mizzou' on his jersey nameplate on senior night as a thank you to the University and local community. He was one of the top players on the team in terms of time spent in the community. Robinson was nominated for the AFCA Good Works team. He held a back to school drive in a partnership with Second Missionary Baptist Church in downtown Columbia to provide local youths with backpacks and essential supplies, snacks and haircuts for the start of the school year. He served as a mentor at Cedar Ridge Elementary in Fall 2023 and logged over 70 hours of community service, spending time volunteering with Columbia Public Schools, Playing 4 Hope, MU Children's Hospital, Coyote Hill, UCP Heartland, Fun City Youth Academy, Mizzou Athletics Kids Camps, Habitat for Humanity, Tiger Tuesdays, Salvation Army, Battle High School, Harbor House among a number of organizations.Dakereon Joyner, RB, South Carolina
Joyner has been very active in the community service arena. During the football season he donated money to a non-profit organization or a charity for every touchdown he scored this season. He hopes to use his platform to give back, inspire others and make a difference in people's lives. He leads the team with five rushing TDs. He organized a Thanksgiving Drive in which he worked with Harvest Hope to provide families in need with a Thanksgiving meal. In addition, he was the South Carolina nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy. He has also held a football camp in his hometown of North Charleston, S.C.
Dee Williams, RS, Tennessee
Williams spent the summer volunteering at Emerald Academy 3-4 times a week. He also mentored kids at the prep school throughout the summer and volunteered his time at the Knoxville Children's Theatre as part of Tennessee's Day of Service. Williams routinely visited with kids at the East Tennessee Children's Hospital.
Max Wright, TE, Texas A&M
Wright has volunteered at the Twin City Mission in Bryan, serving food and cleaning up around the facility. Has also volunteered with The Big Event, the largest one-day student-run service project in the nation every spring helping members of the community with upkeep and care for their homes. He also gone on a mission trip to Haiti in 2019 through Mission of Hope and partnering with local churches to help with construction projects and assisting the locals. Has already received the Aggie Heart Award, presented to a senior who displays the intangibles such as effort, desire, determination, competitiveness, accountability, leadership and courage.
Ethan Barr, LB, Vanderbilt
Barr was named a Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist has been a leader in Vanderbilt's team community service efforts, including with the Boys & Girls Club, Metro Nashville Schools and Turner's Heroes.