NATIONAL SIGNING DAY: Where your favorite players are headed

WDEF News,

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — National Signing Day comes to a close with few surprises for the Tennessee Valley and North Georgia.

The biggest news of the day came from of Dalton. Four-star running back Jahmyr Gibbs decided to stick with his original commitment to Georgia Tech and sign on to become a Yellow Jacket.

Gibbs led the Peach State with more than 2,000 rushing yards his senior season. He also attended the All-American Bowl. All that got the attention of numerous SEC programs like Georgia, Florida, LSU and Alabama. Gibbs narrowed his top three to Georgia Tech, LSU and Florida. Gibbs stays with Tech thanks to the relationship built by running backs coach and former NFL player Tashard Choice.

“[I chose to stay with Georgia Tech] Mostly [for] the coaches. They really helped me throughout this process,” Gibbs said. “Coach Choice, we built a great relationship throughout this year. His personality is like no other. He’s a great dude. He cares about everybody. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met.”

Even without Gibbs, the Georgia Bulldogs earn the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation for the second straight year. The most notable signee from Wednesday was five-star offensive tackle Broderick Jones. North Murray quarterback Ladd McConkey joined the top caliber class as a three-star receiver. McConkey said Coach Kirby Smart’s hometown visit to Chatsworth and his official visit last Friday sealed the deal for the Mountaineers most dynamic player.

“Once I got up there, I knew it was the right fit for me,” McConkey said. “I knew I had a great time with the coaches and the players. It just felt like the right spot for me. It really is a special place.”

The Tennessee Volunteers signed just two players on National Signing Day; however, they will be major additions to the Tennessee team. First, four-star athlete Damarcus Beckwith from Florence, Alabama is expected to play as a wide out for the Vols. Even more major for the receiving corps was four-star receiver Malachi Wideman‘s flip from Florida State to Tennessee. From Chattanooga, Baylor long snapper Grant Reid will head to Knoxville as a preferred walk-on. He and another freshman long snapper will compete for the starting position. As a die-hard Vols fan, Reid says he can’t wait to put on that orange.

“It will be a dream come true,” Reid said. “I’ve always seen those players down there wondering how I get down there and found a way to do it. So I’m just really excited to be able to get that chance.”

The Chattanooga Mocs finished their official recruiting cycle with five three-star signees. Adding in the two other three-star athletes who signed in December, this is the most three-star recruits Chattanooga has signed in history. Coach Rusty Wright said there are still scholarships available, and the work is not done. However, Coach Wright believes this class will set up the Mocs for a bright future.

“You know, we signed good kids last year, but I think this one, for the future of our program is going to be pretty good,” Coach Wright said. “That’s the thing. We’re trying to build it for the long haul and not for a couple years, and trying to keep these guys around in doing that.”

In other local high school news, four East Hamilton athletes signed letters of intent to continue their careers in college. Running back Adam Caudle will play with the Patriots of the University of the Cumberlands. Defensive lineman Nathan Lee heads to Birmingham Southern. And receiver Cade Meeks and kicker Allen Karajic will go to Jacksonville State.

“When I went to Jacksonville State, every visit felt like a home visit,” Karajic said. “The people were extremely, extremely friendly. They were really nice to me, and I really felt wanted there. I just feel really, really blessed to having come in and only doing this one year be able to play DI football. I mean, it truly is a blessing.”

Categories: Featured, Sports, Sports – Local Sports News
Tags:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This content provided by:


Related