ANCHORAGE — The 2026 Alaska Solstice Football Camp in Anchorage expanded to include all football positions and registered over 300 teens by its first day. The three-day event was held at West Anchorage High School, featuring instruction from NFL players and coaches with roots in Alaska.

Camp organizer Duncan Shackelford established the camp 11 years ago, initially focusing exclusively on offensive and defensive linemen. Fourteen youths participated in the inaugural event, and approximately 150 attended the 2025 camp. The 2026 participants ranged from incoming freshmen to rising seniors.

"Instead of calling it the Alaska Solstice Linemen's Camp, let's make it the Alaska Solstice Football Camp and get everybody here," Shackelford said regarding the expansion. More than a dozen Alaska football figures served as instructors or speakers at the camp, including NFL players and coaches.

Edefuan Ulofoshio, a third-year inside linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, and Chris Kuper, the offensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, attended the camp after completing their teams' offseason programs. Kuper played nine seasons in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. Both Ulofoshio and Kuper are former student-athletes from Anchorage; Ulofoshio attended South Anchorage High School, and Kuper attended Dimond High School. Jackson Harmon, also a former South Anchorage High School student-athlete, recently won a national championship with Montana State University. Alani Makihele, a former student-athlete at West Anchorage High School, recently completed his college football career at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Ulofoshio noted the camp's value, stating, "It means the world. When I was a kid and tried to look up football players, you'd see (Anchorage's) Mark Schlereth and that was about it. I always believed that we could get kids to come down here and be NFL athletes." He also commented on local community programs, saying, "I came back and heard we don't even have a Boys & Girls Club anymore, and that kind of breaks your heart, but just getting involved with things like this helps these guys learn the game, and hopefully we get a pipeline."

Kuper emphasized the importance of local role models for participants. "Being that guy for these (kids) to say that I grew up in Anchorage, that doesn't mean that football ends for me in Anchorage. I just worked and worked and put my head down and got drafted. I wasn't a high draft pick, and worked and worked, and I became a starter," Kuper said. He added, "It gives you tangible people that you can point to and be like, 'He grew up right around here.'"

Co-organizers Walter Harmon and Tim Davis also supported the camp's mission. Shackelford noted that colleges are increasingly recruiting from Alaska. "These are the kind of kids that are getting the opportunity to get out there in front of colleges these days. Colleges aren't afraid to come up to Alaska and take a look at a kid now. Just because you live in Alaska, it doesn't mean you can't get a look," Shackelford said.