SIGN HERE ... Big day for area high school athletes

Glenwood’s Arthur Williams has known he wants to play college football at Middle Tennessee State since last August.

The senior said his early decision was by design.

“I just wanted to get it out of the way early so I could focus on the season and my grades and not getting wrapped up with what other colleges were trying to contact me,” Williams said.

That didn’t stop schools from trying to sway the 6-foot-3, 175-pound wide receiver, who is a 3-star recruit according to Rivals.com.

“I still got a lot of calls coming in,” he said. “After awhile they started contacting my coach, but he told them I was pretty solid on Middle Tennessee.”

When Williams signs his National Letter of Intent today, it will be the culmination of more than five months of waiting to turn the verbal promise he made to the Blue Raiders into a written one.

Opelika’s Josh Rowe took the other route.

The 6-foot, 195-pound linebacker held off on making his decision because he was being courted by FBS schools such as Memphis, UAB, Auburn and Kentucky, among other FCS (formerly I-AA) teams.

He said the anxiety over his college choice didn’t bother him during his senior season. But once the season was over, it was a different story.

“It was probably the biggest decision of my life,” Rowe said. “I didn’t want to go to a place where I’d end up feeling miserable for four or five years of my life.”

Rowe was impressed during his campus visit to FCS school Georgia Southern, but he wanted to wait and see if some bigger schools would push hard for him.

When they didn’t, his decision was made. He committed to the Eagles two weekends ago.

“I realized Georgia Southern really wanted me,” he said. “The schools I was waiting on, they had someone else in mind. I was their backup option.
Why fly second-class when you can fly first?”

Williams and Rowe are two of 10 area players that are expected to sign FBS or FCS National Letters of Intent this afternoon.

Auburn High OL John Sullen has committed to Auburn, WR Marquel Franklin to Samford and DL Milton Thomas to Jackson State.
Valley QB Brent Osborn is expected to join Rowe at Georgia Southern, while Osborn’s teammate ATH Salasky Gates is committed to Jacksonville State.

Beauregard OL Cody Jenkins has committed to Troy, Central RB Orwin Smith picked Georgia Tech, and Smiths Station LB Colby Miller is expected to go to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (Army), which is an FBS Independent.

Rowe said he is thankful to have the decision out of the way, and that he and four of his high school teammates get to continue their football careers.

“I’m glad we get to go somewhere, play football and get an education,” he said. “I’m not saying we’re getting an education for free, because those workouts are going to be crazy. But we get to do something we love to do.”

Williams said that even though he made his decision long ago, National Signing Day will still be special for him.

“It feels good knowing I’m getting rewarded for all the hard work on the field and in the classroom,” he said. “I told my parents I might get a little emotional.”
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Area athletes expected to sign scholarships:

AUBURN HIGH
Marquel Franklin, WR, 6-2/180, Samford
Akin McQueen, TE, 6-2/225, Georgia Military College
John Sullen, OL, 6-5/330, Auburn University
Milton Thomas, DL, 6-0/285, Jackson State

BEAUREGARD
Cody Jenkins, OL, 6-5/305, Troy University
DeWinston Meniefield, LB, 5-9/195, Lane (Tenn.) College
Derrick Porter, WR, 5-9/165, Lane (Tenn.) College

CENTRAL
Orwin Smith, RB, 6-1/195, Georgia Tech

CHAMBERS ACADEMY
McKeldric Daniel, RB/DB, 5-9/175, Erie (NY) J.C.
Ryan Smith, FB, 6-0/240, Erie (NY) J.C.

GLENWOOD
Perry Couch, OL/DL, 6-4/240, Tuskegee University
Arthur Williams, WR, 6-3/175, Middle Tennessee St.
Marcus Woods, RB/LB, 5-9/175, Lane (Tenn.) College

LANETT
Jared Washington, DL, 6-2/280, Coahoma (MS) J.C.

LOACHAPOKA
Vontrez Hutchinson, DB, 5-8/182, Huntingdon College

OPELIKA
Jeremy Edwards, OL, 6-4/330, Tuskegee University
Justin Johnson, LB, 5-11/180, North Alabama
Josh Lewis, DE, 5-11/220, St. Augustine College
Josh Rowe, LB, 6-0/195, Georgia Southern
David Thomas, QB, 6-1/215, Miles College

SMITHS STATION
Colby Miller, LB, 6-0/196, Army
Sebastian Thomas, FS, 6-0/170, Tuskegee University

VALLEY
Salasky Gates, ATH, 6-0/170, Jacksonville State
Brent Osborn, QB, 6-4/205, Georgia Southern