NSD 25: Six sign scholarships from Catholic's state championship team

Aaron Taylor was one of six football players from Catholic’s championship team to sign a scholarship on Wednesday. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Six Catholic football players sat patiently at tables, waiting their turn for signing day.

Each had contributed to the Knights’ success over the past two years, going 29-0 and winning a pair of state championships. Some had probably dreamed of signing day for a long time, while others hadn’t really thought of a collegiate career until recently.

“Being an underclassmen, I would have said no,” tight end Wilson Hodges said. “But we sat down after my sophomore year and I said, ‘Coach ‘J,’ this is what I want to do,’ and we sat down and made it happen.”

‘Coach J,’ Kirk Johnson, returned on Wednesday to the players he had coached for the past two seasons. Now at Benjamin Russell, he kept his comments brief and made his exit quickly, not wanting to take away from the spotlight on the players.

Two of those players, linebacker Kam Miller and defensive end Garrett Sanford, both elected to sign with Murray State after visiting the campus recently.

“I wanted to go somewhere I was wanted, some place that I had fallen in love with, and that was the school that showed me the most love,” Miller said. “With Garrett coming, that was everything I could ask for -- a roommate, my best friend. So it’s a great experience and we’re going to go tear it up at Murray State.”

Sanford was impressed with the small-town atmosphere in western Kentucky where everyone pulls for the Racers.

“We actually went up there together,” Sanford said. “I asked, ‘Kam, do you want to go here?’ He said, ‘Yes, I do.’ That was actually the last factor, knowing somebody that was there.

“I knew nothing about the school. Then one weekend, they just offered me so I went up there, met the coaches and, honestly, the coaching staff is what made me fall in love with the school and the football program.”

There were actually five signees a week ago, but defensive back Gavin Phelan received a late offer from the University of Charleston, a private Division II school in West Virginia.

“I mean, I had a lot of looks,” Phelan said, “but the transfer portal had messed it up so much, so I really couldn’t get where I wanted at the time. So I stayed patient and something came open with Charleston. They reached out and asked me if I wanted to go on an official (visit).

“I went on a visit this past Saturday and I just fell in love with the campus. I love the culture that’s up there. That’s what really sold me.”

Offensive lineman Aaron Taylor made a late switch to Delta State, a Division II program from north Mississippi in the Gulf South Conference.

“Literally, three weeks ago, I thought I was going to Suwanee,” Taylor said. “Delta State reached out, they got me on a visit quick, the coaches showed me the love and it was written from there. I could tell they wanted me there, I could tell they loved me and it was a great environment to be around. I thank God for them finding me. That just had to be luck.”

Hodges, an Alabama-Mississippi All Star Classic participant, had nearly two dozen offers but finally settled on Middle Tennessee.

“It’s really just the coaching staff,” Hodges said. “They made me feel at home. They embrace the culture that we really have here, the blue collar mentality that I was looking for, to continue to better myself. That’s what really was a fit for me.”

Capital City Conference Player of the Year Jo Pierce had initially committed to Tulane but kept his options open and on signing day he signed with Oklahoma State. 

“Back in August, I wondered how my season was going to go,” he said. “I didn’t rush it. I knew it was going to come fast. Here we are, February and signing to go some place that I dreamed of.”

Actually, he probably never dreamed of playing at Oklahoma State but he did dream of going some place he had never been and meeting new people while getting the opportunity to play major college football. On Wednesday, that dream was realized.

“I wanted to get as far away from home so I can do it in a different environment, meet new people,” Pierce said. “That’s my thing. I love to meet new people and do different things in life. That’s why I chose Oklahoma State.”