NSD EXTENDED: MA's Cooper headed north; Marbury pair stays close to home; Edgewood, CathoLic announce signings
Montgomery Academy’s Jamal Cooper shows off his new colors after announcing his choice of Dartmouth for next fall. (Tim Gaye)
COMBINED REPORTS
When Jamal Cooper flew up to New Hampshire to visit Dartmouth College on a recruiting visit with his younger brother Jashawn last weekend, he wasn’t sure he would be ready to make a collegiate choice before National Signing Day.
“Before we visited, we didn’t know where he was going because Army was down here talking to him along with a lot of other coaches,” Jashawn said. “Dartmouth came down earlier for one of our practices, so he was just going to try it out and see what it was, so he went up there. The love they showed us really sold it.”
On Friday, Jamal Cooper announced he would be accepting a college offer to continue playing football for the Big Green next fall.
“It was really my visit,” Jamal said of the deciding factor. “As soon as I stepped on campus, everybody was welcoming. It was genuine love. The coaches care about football, but what really sold me is how much they care about academics, also. At the end of the day, that’s what it is all about. We go there to play football, but education comes first.”
Cooper’s move to quarterback at the start of the 3A playoffs this past season helped Montgomery Academy earn a berth in the Super 7 Championships, which in turn earned Cooper’s selection as the Capital City Conference Offensive Player of the Year, but he had long since made his reputation as a hybrid defender who can play a lock-down cover guy, blitz off the edge or provide solid run support.
“I think, defensively, they’ll probably use him a lot like we did,” Montgomery Academy coach Robert Johnson said. “He’s a guy who can play the two-deep safety, come up and play the nickel, then blitz off the edge and be a run stopper, also. Nowadays, you have to have that third corner that can cover somebody and his coverage skills allow them to not have to make a substitution. That’s invaluable to a college staff.”
Cooper, who carries a 3.9 grade point average, had entertained offers from Army and Navy, among others, but ultimately settled on the Ivy League school with the academic reputation.
“What really separated it between Army and Dartmouth is (Dartmouth) had the business and economics I was looking for, whereas Army really didn’t,” Jamal said. “That was a big part of my decision. And Dartmouth showed love first. They came here first and I took that into consideration.
The Big Green is coached by Buddy Teevins, who served as the head coach at Tulane in the 1990s and Stanford a little later, with a stop in between at Florida as an assistant under Steve Spurrier during the Gators’ incredibly successful run in the 1990s. One of his players during that time as Sammy McCorkle, who now serves as Dartmouth’s secondary coach and will be in charge of developing Cooper.
“It’s going to a program where I’m used to playing the same role,” he said. “They’ve got multiple DBs leaving and he was telling me I can come up there and make an impact early. That was another big part of my decision.”
The recruiting trip sold Jamal Cooper on Dartmouth College. It also made quite an impression on his younger brother, the Eagles’ leading rusher the last two years.
“I like it a lot up there,” Jashawn said. “Even though it’s cold, all you’ve got to do is put on two jackets and you’ll be all right. The players, the facilities, it’s real good.”
Amos Barton and teammate Ricky Gray will play football for Huntingdon beginning next fall. (Contributed)
Marbury’s Barton, Gray to Huntingdon
Amos Barton and Ricky Gray accepted offers to play collegiately at Huntingdon College, becoming the second and third Marbury players this season to earn an invitation to play at the next level
Offensive lineman Matt Johnson signed with Troy in mid-December during the early signing period
Marbury coach Hayden Stockton, who just completed his first year at the school, was hopeful at least two more players could earn the opportunity to walk on at college football programs.
“That’s getting people out there (in the collegiate ranks), as opposed to the past,” he said. “Marbury has never been a predominant powerhouse or known for its athleticism. Hopefully, some of those things are changing.
The Bulldogs were 4-7 last year, but earned their third consecutive trip to the state playoffs, a first for the program. On Friday, at a signing ceremony at the school, a pair of those players were recognized for the success they brought to the program.
Barton, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound defensive end, may be a little undersized by major college standards, but he was effective for the Bulldogs, making 53 tackles, including 16 for loss and eight sacks.
“On the field, he has one of the best motors I’ve ever seen,” Stockton said. “He is relentless, getting after a passer on a pass rush, very instinctive and a good hard-nosed football player.”
His work ethic could earn him early playing time with the Hawks, Stockton predicted
“I think when he gets there, if he puts 20 pounds on, he may see time as a freshman with that kind of skill and motor set,” he said.
Gray, a 5-foot-11, 240-pound senior, teamed with Johnson to give the Bulldogs an effective offensive line, but also saw a lot of playing time on defense, making 27 tackles, including seven for loss and three sacks.
“They’re signing him as a D-lineman,” Stockton said. “He’s very athletic, good feet, very fast BGO, which is what we call ‘ball get off.’ As an offensive lineman, (he’s good because) he is so athletic. He’s quick enough that he might even be able to play H-back in some situations.”
Edgewood’s Colton Jones will play for Belhaven beginning next fall. (Contributed)
Edgewood’s Jones signs with Belhaven
Edgewood Academy senior Colton Jones accepted an offer to continue his football career collegiately at Belhaven University, choosing the Division III Blazers over some teams closer to home.
Jones signed his paperwork on Wednesday in a ceremony at the school, choosing the Jackson, Miss., school over programs such as Birmingham Southern and Huntingdon College.
Jones first got the attention of Belhaven, and several other schools, at a summer camp designed to showcase players.
“They’ve been recruiting him hard since the summer,” Edgewood Academy coach Chad Michael explained, “and they’ve been keeping up with him pretty regularly. I think they told him he was one of the top three on their (recruiting) board, that they really wanted him to be there. They made him feel like they really wanted him. He really fell in love with the school and the coaches and what they had to offer.”
Jones is a two-way standout, but was probably better known for his work on the Wildcats’ offensive line, where he blocked for one of the state’s top-rated offenses to earn all-state recognition last year. He also earned recognition in the Alabama Independent School Association All-Star Game when he was selected as the Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman for the East squad.
At Belhaven, however, he was recruited to play on the defensive line.
“We moved him around a lot (on the defensive line), from inside to outside,” Michael said. “He was very multiple. I think that’s what they like about him. With us, a lot of people tried to game-plan around him and run away from him, so his stats weren’t what they should be or could be. He’s got a chance to come in and really get some playing time this year.”
Catholic’s Catherine Aaron announced she would run track for Benedictine College while Mallory Hildebrand chose Union University to play softball. (Photos courtesy of Total Image)
Catholic’s Hildebrand, Aaron make college choices known
Catholic seniors Mallory Hildebrand and Catherine Aaron signed letters of intent on Tuesday afternoon to continue playing athletics at the collegiate level.
For Hildebrand, that meant accepting an offer to play softball at Union University. She followed up her celebration with a return to practice for the upcoming 2022 season.
Aaron will continue running at the collegiate level for Benedictine College, an NAIA program in Kansas. She followed up the ceremony by going out on Friday and winning the indoor track state championship in three events.
Hildebrand, an all-Capital City Conference selection last year at catcher, has a career batting average of .348 for the Knights, including a .435 on-base percentage. Her best season with the bat was in 2020 when she hit .526 but she developed into one of the area’s best catchers last year and has thrown out 30 runners in her career from behind the plate.
Hildebrand has attended Montgomery Catholic for eight years and is the daughter of Keith and Shelley Hildebrand.
Aaron will be joining the honors college and cross country team at Benedictine College to study architecture.
She was third in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s cross country state meet in Class 5A. At the indoor track state meet, where Catholic competes in 1A-3A, she was first in the 800-meter run, the 1600-meter run and the 3200-meter run, helping the Knights to a third-place finish in the state meet.
Aaron has attended Montgomery Catholic for eight years and is the daughter of Richard and Eileen Aaron.