COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Members of the Maryland football team instructed local elementary students on the relationship between math and football as part of Maryland Counts Day last Friday.

"We were contacted by the Maryland Reads, Maryland Counts group on campus and asked if it was something we'd be interested in doing," said Maryland athletics academic counselor Stephen Darville. "Of course, giving back to the community that supports us is always important."

The football players, who included Joe Vellano, discussed passing and rushing yards in Gossett Team House with the fourth graders from five local elementary schools.

"This is a pretty good experience. I have younger siblings, so for fourth graders to come in, they're like my younger brothers and sisters," said Pickett.

The elementary students asked the players about being NCAA student-athletes and the requirements they needed to play.

"It was a great experience for me to come in and talk to them about how important academics and things of that nature are," said Pickett.

Maryland Counts provides elementary students with university student mentors. Maryland Counts Day fell on the same day as National Student-Athlete Day.

Many Maryland student-athletes volunteered to help at that event which had elementary school children visiting Comcast Center.

There were a number of football players who volunteered time, including C.J. Brown, Kevin Dorsey, Regis Whittington, Ryan Schlothauer, Eric Franklin, Kenny Tate, Tyrek Cheeseboro, Josh Cary, Matt Robinson, Justin Gilbert, Bennett Fulper and Demetrius Hartsfield.