Shon Coleman knows what it's like to spend days as a young man in a hospital.
The leukemia survivor often made trips to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis in 2010 as he battled cancer, underwent chemotherapy treatments and many more tests than he cares to remember.
So, when Auburn's 6-foot-6, 310-pound left tackle walked into the rooms of nearly a dozen patients at Children's of Alabama Hospital, it took him back to the pain, the suffering and, ultimately, the triumph of beating cancer and achieving his dream to play football.
"Seeing these kids and what they're going through reminds me of what I'm going through and just to see how far I've come," said Coleman, who is exploring whether to jump to the NFL after his junior season. "To know that success is on its way, it's unbelievable for me."
Coleman struck up conversations with nearly every patient. Some family members were Alabama fans, others were Auburn fans. He made friends with Anthony Page, a patient at the facility. As Coleman walked in the doors, Page was watching highlights of defensive back Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks.
He called himself an "everybody fan" on the college level. Well, except for one school.
"Except Alabama," Page said. "I hate Alabama."
Page is also a fan of the Carolina Panthers. "You can't go wrong with Cam, can you?" Coleman said. Page then informed the players who will win the Super Bowl: Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. After all, the former Auburn Heisman Trophy winner has a leg up on the Patriots. "Too many injury problems," Page said.
"You know your sports," Coleman said.
It was that kind of day for two dozen Memphis and Auburn players filtering through the hallways of the hospital, where sick and injured children smiled as behemoth linemen walked through the darkened doorways.
"Y'all are extremely bigger in person," Page said, eliciting laughs from the players as they bumped fists with the Panthers fan.
"He was talking a lot about football and all the things he knew," Auburn defensive lineman Dontavius Russell said. "He was telling us stuff I didn't know about with the NFL."
At the end of the day, Auburn and Memphis players congregated in the lobby for a group photo. They shook hands. Some hugged.
They'll meet again Wednesday for the Birmingham Bowl inside Legion Field. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
"This is the most meaningful thing I think we do this week," Auburn offensive guard Alex Kozan said. "Ten years from now, probably no one will even remember if we played in the Birmingham Bowl, but I bet you most of these kids will remember football players visiting them. Whenever you can give back, it's a great thing to do and I'm glad I did it."