Student assistant coach for Southeast Missouri State's football team Josiah Stanfield participated in the Illinois One-Day Prospect Camp held June 7 at Trinity High School in St. Louis on.

Stanfield, a former running back whose playing career ended due to knee issues, plans on some day becoming a full-time coach. Camps like this one help prepare up-and-coming coaches for their future responsibilities.

"Each coach preached to me that what I'm doing right now is above and beyond, which was incredible to hear," Stanfield said. "Most student assistant coaches just do stuff behind the scenes or during practices, whatever the coach wants us to do. But I've been trying to do more."

Stanfield had the chance to work closely with former Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith who's now with Illinois, as well as coaches from Purdue, Nebraska, Missouri and other colleges.

Among the advice Smith gave Stanfield was to keep networking, because in coaching, like with many careers, opportunities arise based on who someone knows.

"He said he could see the passion [I have for coaching]," Stanfield said. "He said he'd been watching me talk to different coaches and watching me network my way around here, talking to everybody, that's an incredible thing to do and an important thing for you to do."

That passion to be a coach isn't just about on-field responsibilities for Stanfield -- he wants to build connections with his players to help them grow as individuals as well as players.

"You're not just a football coach, you are a mentor, you're a father, kind of like a brother to these guys," Stanfield said. "You are that role model in their life who is going to teach these young men how to be men when they come out of college."

Coach Tom Matukewicz saw that devotion early when talking to Stanfield about joining the staff.

"He just seemed to have a passion for working with young people," Matukewicz said. "So we got him involved, and I said, 'If you do a good job, we'll try to get something out of it,' and he did."

Matukewicz told Stanfield that although it's the summer, he can't take that time off if he really wants to make it as a coach. Stanfield needed to continue to improve as a coach by getting more opportunities and experience.

"A coach is just like a player, they need reps and experience too," Matukewicz said. "So now you go to work with other coaches and you learn different verbiage, better techniques."

Stanfield only recently decided he'd like to become a full-time coach, either as a collegiate head coach or an NFL position coach. Matukewicz thinks that realization, along with his drive, is the biggest thing Stanfield can bring back to Southeast.

"What I think will really help us is he learned that he really wants to do this, and he can," Matukewicz said. "I think that's probably the biggest thing he can bring to our team is the passion that he has to make a difference everyday."

That passion, along with added experience and networking, has Stanfield ahead of the curve for his age in hopes of becoming a full-time coach.

"I can tell you right now, I'm on the right path," Stanfield said. "From each person I've talked to, they've all told me I am heading in the right direction to where I'm going."