Area athletes sign on to next phase of football careers

Click here for slideshow

McKeldric Daniel’s desire to play college football is taking him almost 1,000 miles from home.

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound running back from Chambers Academy signed to play at Erie Community College in Orchard Park, N.Y.

But he won’t be joining the Kats by himself. Teammate and blocking back Ryan Smith will be there with him.

“(I’m going there) because of Ryan,” Daniel said. “We’ve been playing together since junior high, I think since we were like 12.”

More than 120 players, coaches and family members convened at the Opelika-Auburn News on National Signing Day to celebrate these athletes’ high school careers and their transition into the college game, while munching on Country’s Barbecue.

Even though they’re trading in one set of colors for another, most of the 26 area players that signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday will still be seeing some familiar faces on fall Saturdays.

Beauregard linebackers Seneric McCurdy and DeWinston Meniefield, along with wide receiver Derrick Porter, are all headed to Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., next year. The three Hornets will be joined by Glenwood running back Marcus Woods.

“When you’re going that far, you want to go with somebody you know,” McCurdy said.

The Dragons’ foursome will be lining up against Glenwood’s Perry Couch Jr., Opelika’s Jeremy Edwards and Smiths Station’s Sebastian Thomas, who all signed with SIAC foe Tuskegee, next year. Not to mention the Bulldogs’ David Thomas, a Miles College signee.

“I’m going to be motivated to play, no doubt,” McCurdy said. “Since they’re in-state, I’m going to be motivated to play hard.”

Even though they never played with each other in high school, Valley quarterback Brent Osborn and Opelika linebacker Josh Rowe knew each other from camps.

And from that one time Rowe got on the other end of an Osborn pass when they were both freshmen.

“He’s the only guy I’ve caught an interception off of,” Rowe said. “My first and only.”

Osborn and Rowe will be getting much more familiar with each other at Georgia Southern over the summer and fall.

Rowe said he found out the Valley signal-caller was interested in the Eagles after Rowe made his campus visit. So Rowe called Osborn up and did some recruiting of his own.

“I told him he needed to check it out, because it was a really good place to be,” Rowe said. “When he went down, he called me and said, ‘You’re right.’

“I told him if we go down there and get focused, maybe we can make some things happen.”

Rowe’s fellow linebacker Justin Johnson will join teammate Josh Lewis at St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C., while Smiths Station offensive lineman Kimone Bates and Loachapoka defensive back Vontrez Hutchinson will be new teammates at Huntingdon College in Montgomery.

The 26 area players signed with 17 different schools. Five players signed with FBS teams, five at FCS schools, 10 at the Division II level, two at Division III and four at junior colleges.

“It just shows the quality of football that is played in our area, and the quality of coaching and parental support,” said Auburn High coach Tim Carter, who saw four of his former players sign Wednesday. “You know what kind if doors this will open for them: A chance to get a quality education, a chance to make friends that will last a lifetime and an opportunity to continue to play their sport. It’s one of the better parts of our job.”

dmorrison@oanow.com | 737-2568

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
Milton Thomas, DL, 6-0/285, Jackson State
BEAUREGARD
Cody Jenkins, OL, 6-5/305, Troy
Seneric McCurdy, LB, 6-1/200, Lane
DeWinston Meniefield, LB, 5-9/195, Lane
Derrick Porter, WR, 5-9/165, Lane
CENTRAL
Orwin Smith, RB, 6-1/195, Georgia Tech
CHAMBERS ACADEMY
McKeldric Daniel, RB/DB, 5-9/175, Erie (NY) C.C.
Ryan Smith, FB, 6-0/240, Erie (NY) C.C.
GLENWOOD
Perry Couch Jr., OL/DL, 6-4/240, Tuskegee
Arthur Williams, WR, 6-3/175, Middle Tennessee St.
Marcus Woods, RB/LB, 5-9/175, Lane
LANETT
Jared Washington, DL, 6-2/280, Coahoma (MS) J.C.
LOACHAPOKA
Vontrez Hutchinson, DB, 5-8/182, Huntingdon
OPELIKA
Jeremy Edwards, OL, 6-4/330, Tuskegee
Justin Johnson, LB, 5-11/180, St. Augustine College
Josh Lewis, DE, 5-11/220, St. Augustine College
Josh Rowe, LB, 6-0/195, Georgia Southern
David Thomas, QB, 6-1/215, Miles
SMITHS STATION
Kimone Bates, OL, 6-1/260, Huntingdon
Colby Miller, LB, 6-0/196, Army
Sebastian Thomas, FS, 6-0/170, Tuskegee
VALLEY
Salasky Gates, ATH, 6-0/170, Jacksonville State
Brent Osborn, QB, 6-4/205, Georgia Southern

Read David Morrison's blog here.