Montgomery Academy teammates accept offer as preferred walk-ons at Auburn

Thomas Kirkahm speaks during a ceremony announcing the decision to walk on at Auburn along with fellow MA teammate Jackson Kelly. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Thomas Kirkham had 17 offers from various collegiate football programs, but he could never quite shake the feeling of where he felt he needed to be

“It’s kind of weird to think that I always planned to sign with Auburn,” Kirkham said. “You get to high school and you’re like, oh wait, you have to be offered (a scholarship) to go to that school. My parents would say it was a lot about luck, but I would say I knew it the whole time, it was going to come around

“My sisters both went to Auburn, my dad went to Auburn. He walked on at Auburn, so it was always a dream to go to Auburn. When the situation arose, it was a no-brainer for me.

The Montgomery Academy senior, along with teammate Jackson Kelly, accepted an offer from Auburn as a preferred walk-on for the Tigers this fall, choosing the dream of playing for the Tigers over scholarship offers to other institutions. 

Both Kirkham and Kelly were honored in a ceremony in the school gym on Thursday morning.  

“The biggest thing you can always tell a kid to do is go with your heart,” Montgomery Academy coach Robert Johnson said. “I think they both really wanted to go to Auburn, to go to school there. That, plus the fact they get to play for one of the biggest schools in the SEC and the nation. They’ve got some friends who are already playing there and they’ve got the ability to make an impact in the next few years.”

For Kelly, who had offers from Samford and Kennesaw State, there are a variety of positions available for a 6-foot-3, 260-pound athlete on both sides of the ball, including H-back, tight end, offensive line and defensive line. 

“It’s honestly a good thing,” Kelly said. “Maybe I can be catching touchdowns or sacking quarterbacks.”

For Kirkham, getting a chance to compete for a job on an offensive line in need of help is a big incentive.

“When I was talking to (Auburn offensive line) Coach (Will) Friend, he was like, ‘We’re starting from Square One. If you come in and make a statement, awesome. It’s basically whoever wants it the most gets it,’” Kirkham said. “That’s the mindset I have to have going into it.

Both players are familiar with former Montgomery Academy quarterback Barton Lester, who went to the Air Force Academy in 2017-18 before transferring to Auburn as a walk-on linebacker, and former Montgomery Academy quarterback Trey Lindsey, who walked on at quarterback for Auburn in 2019. 

“I think that makes a difference,” Johnson said. “They understand their dreams are ahead of them. They’ve had such a good experience, Trey and Barton have, that they know they can have the same experience. If they work and their ability is good enough to get on the field, they know they’re going to get that opportunity.”

Kelly admitted his relationship with the pair -- and their experience in walking on at Auburn -- played a role in his decision.  

“It helped tremendously,” he said. “I got to text them and they told me about the program, how much work it takes to be a part of the program. Everything they told me, I loved.”

He had been leaning toward Samford before finally choosing to walk on at Auburn. 

“I probably would have gone to Samford if this just didn’t feel right,” he said, “because that’s where my brother went and played football at, I have a lot of connections there and I felt they truly wanted me.”

Kirkham was torn between Middle Tennessee and Army.

“They (Middle Tennessee) were a great group of guys, them and Army,” Kirkham said. “I met so many great recruiting guys over the phone.”

On Thursday morning, as he prepared to turn down all the offers for an opportunity to attend Auburn, he received a text message from Lindsey.

“‘When you sign that piece of paper, you’re signing in blood,”’ he said, repeating the message. “It’s not something I’m going to take lightly. He said, ‘yeah, it is a preferred walk-on, but we expect you to come in acting like you’re a scholarship guy.’ That kind of hit home.

Now, they’ll be two more MA alumni on the Auburn football team. 

“I get to go up against (Kirkham) on the offensive line if I play D-line,” Kelly observed. “It’s going to be great. He had other offers from Group of Five schools and I think it’s really sweet that he decided to do this preferred walk-on at Auburn with me. I think we’ll have a great next four years.

“Not a lot of guys get to play with someone from the time they’re 6 to 18,” Kirkham said. “Awesome we’re going to play at the next level together.”