Co-Lin football inks 31 on National Signing Day
Published 2:07 pm Friday, February 7, 2014
WESSON – Copiah-Lincoln Community College head football coach Glenn Davis went into National Signing Day hoping that his coaching staff would pull in a big haul of quality players willing to sign on and join the Wolfpack. Mission accomplished. The Wolves inked 31 signees and added a group that was everything their head coach had hoped for.
“This is one of the best signing classes we’ve had in my 10 years here,” said Davis. “We targeted kids that we wanted and our coaches did a great job of establishing relationships and getting them to come to Co-Lin.”
The class is heavy on linebackers, defensive lineman, and defensive backs. For Davis, that was the plan from the outset. “We needed to replace lost starters at linebacker, we needed to create depth in the secondary, and we needed to add some length in our defensive line and we hit all of those goals.”
Two signees, Joel Thompson and Kyle Strickland, also signed with Division I schools. Thompson (Cincinnati) and Strickland (Arkansas State) are still attempting to qualify for the Division I level.
An open state, with no more recruiting lines or districts, means a coaching staff has to go out and do battle with 13 other community colleges for prospects. Davis feels like his staff handled the negativity often found in recruiting well and worked hardest on selling the families of recruits on the quality of the Co-Lin experience.
Of the 29 Mississippi player signed, they hail from 18 different counties. Some are as close as Hazlehurst (John Bridges) while others are from as far away as Desoto County (Michael Graham). What bonds the group is the capabilities they share as student-athletes.
“We sell our recruits and their families on the fact that at Co-Lin we make our guys go to class, we make them grow up as men, and we work to make them better football players along the way. That couldn’t happen if we didn’t have support from our administration on down,” said Davis.
Co-Lin Signing Class
DeAndre Barnes WR Seminary
De’Anthony Blake WR Jefferson County
John Bridges ATH Hazlehurst
Tre’Brown DL Choctaw County
Kendrick Catchings WR/RB Callaway
Julius Craft WR Mendenhall
Darrius Dora DB Louisville
Charles Elam DE Canton
Rejohn Franklin LB Harrison Central
Michael Graham LB Desoto Central
Ardavian Gray LB Terry
TC Hatchett DB Choctaw County
Germarta’ Jackson TE Madison Central
Jalen Jackson WR North Pike
James Keyes ATH/DB Taylorsville
Garrett Kruczek QB Lake Howell High School (Winter Park, FL)
Lakedric Lee RB North Pike
Lawayne Lenior OL Tylertown
Derrick McClelland OL Meridian
Willie Miller LB Choctaw County
Marico Paige LB Lake Cormorant
Deion Pope DT Collins
Matias Robinson TE Laurel
Dauro Rogers LS Laurel
Adrien Scott DB Rosa Fort
Paxton Sims OL Choctaw County
Kyle Strickland DL Brandon
Joel Thompson DL McArthur High School (Coconut Creek, FL)
Lakendrick Vaughn DB Louisville
Ronald Walker S Callaway
Zachary Williams LB Leake County