FAIRMONT — When Jordan Waters grew up in Fairmont, he says, there weren’t a lot of chances for him to look up to an athlete from the same small town to show him that he could, in fact, achieve his football dreams.

Waters achieved a lot of those dreams anyway. Now, as he prepares for his redshirt-junior season as a running back at Duke, he came home to be that very example for the community’s youth, hosting a youth football camp Saturday at Fairmont High School.

“All the kids came out here and had fun,” Waters said. “It was really hot, but it was worth it. All the kids coming out here, smiling, having fun, that’s what it’s all about. It was just a fun time.”

Waters lived in nearby Lake View, South Carolina as a child, and attended Fairmont High School, graduating in 2019. Giving back to the community that supported him growing up is at the forefront of Waters’ camp, which was held for the second time.

“Growing up, I didn’t have anything like this, and I always told myself when I was in this position I was going to give back to my community,” Waters said. “I’m doing it, and I’m going to continue to do it, and it’s just me taking care of the people that took care of me.”

Waters earned his degree in sociology from Duke this spring. He still has two seasons of football eligibility remaining, though, with a redshirt year and the extra year of eligibility granted to all players who were active during the 2020 season during the COVID-19 pandemic; he will work towards a master’s degree at the university while he continues his football career.

After four years in an ACC program, under the tutelage of experienced coaches including David Cutcliffe and Mike Elko, Waters hopes to pass along some of the lessons he’s learned through football to the next generation of players in Fairmont and Robeson County.

“Anything is possible, that’s the biggest (lesson). People think because we’re from little ole Fairmont, we can’t go anywhere, we can’t make it nowhere, and it’s all false. We can do anything anybody else can do, and I guess I’m living proof of it.”

Waters played in every game for Duke last season, rushing for 566 yards, averaging 43.5 yards per game, and eight touchdowns — easily a career-high after entering the season with three total touchdowns.

Beyond his time on the football field, Waters is also enjoying his time at Duke because of the people he’s been able to associate with.

This was evident at Saturday’s camp, as several Duke teammates came to help Waters’ efforts: running backs Jaylen Coleman and Jaquez Moore, wide receivers Jontavis Robinson and Eli Pancol, safety Terry Moore and defensive tackle DeWayne Carter.

“I’ve met some of my best friends there,” Waters said. “You see I’ve got my teammates out here, a couple teammates, and it’s just the people I met, the family, and those guys, I’ll always be close with forever.”

Duke improved from a 3-9 record with no ACC wins in 2021 to a 9-4 season last fall in Elko’s first year with the program, winning the Military Bowl — from which Waters was proudly wearing a championship ring on Saturday.

But Waters and the rest of the Blue Devils are ready to take another step forward this fall, with the season just around the corner.

“(Last season) was just a start,” Waters said. “Now we’ve got a chip on our shoulder like we did last year. Last year ain’t going to help us this year, so that’s in the past.”

Duke hosts Clemson in a Labor Day season opener Sept. 4 in Durham.