Celebrations and ceremonies occurred across the state of Georgia on Wednesday as the next generation of college athletes signed their National Letters of Intent and completed the final step of their recruiting journey. An early signing period was first introduced in December of 2018 and Wednesday marked the fourth-straight year that National Signing Day followed the first wave of signees. A comprehensive overview by the organization Next College Student Athlete back in 2019 showed that nearly 80 percent of FBS roster spots are filled after the early signing period and this year proved to be another busy National Signing Day.
Cherokee High School honored all of its various signees in a joint ceremony Wednesday afternoon with 13 total signees that represented five different sports: football, baseball, track and field, lacrosse and bass fishing. Twin brothers Chase and Tyler Goddard both committed to Piedmont University to play baseball with teammate Nate Courtwright and Lily Cincola committed to Georgia on a track scholarship. The GHSA introduced bass fishing as a sanctioned sport for the first time last year and Cherokee’s Ethan Baldwin signed to compete at Brewton Parker in Mount Vernon, Ga.
There were also some major headliners that announced their college destination on Wednesday. Cedar Grove’s four-star defensive lineman Christen Miller was balancing multiple offers, but announced his decision to stay in-state and he ultimately chose the University of Georgia over Ohio State. Miller is one of the 15 four-stars that help make up Georgia’s impressive 29-player Class of 2022. Another four-star is Appling County edge rusher Darris Smith—who made his commitment to Georgia official on Wednesday by signing his NLI. Appling County also celebrated Taylen Crosby (Savannah State), Dennis Mims (Savannah State), Jarvis Mims (LaGrange College), Malik Rogers (LaGrange College) and Jamori Wright (Fort Valley State).
Walton High School was busy in the early signing period with six signees, but saw more members of this year’s semifinal team sign to join the college ranks—including safety Cade Thompson (Berry) and wide receiver Nate Lyons (Berry). Players like Thompson and Lyons are benefactors of the early signing period, because colleges that were not as active in the early period can take advantage of the weeks leading up to National Signing Day assemble their classes. Cambridge tight end Carson Kent had a great senior season for the Bears and then participated in the Georgia Elite Classic in December. Kent was not offered by Kennesaw State until last Wednesday, but his patience paid off and he officially became an Owl this afternoon as the team filled their final vacancies.
You can check out all the state’s signees as we continue to update our database HERE
Loading ...
