Those of us who grew up in the South know that college football allegiances are passed along through the generations here. From the moment fathers teach their sons to throw wobbly spirals in the backyard, to the day they advise them on the importance of yelling “Go Big Orange” or “Roll Tide” or “Sic’em Dawgs” on Saturday afternoons in the fall, traditions are passed along like family heirlooms.
So as another whirlwind national signing day came and went, it was fitting that the day had a definitive family feel in the Chattanooga area.
It actually began last summer when Dalton’s massive offensive lineman Watts Danztler committed to the University of Georgia, where his late father, Danny, had played. The 6-foot-8, 330-pound Dantzler, who admitted family ties were the reason he chose the Bulldogs over Auburn, followed through on that pledge by signing with UGA on Wednesday morning.
Ridgeland’s Devin Bowman continued his own family tradition, becoming mom Tara’s third son to sign with a Division I program. By becoming part of Georgia’s “Dream Team” class, Devin followed in the footsteps of brothers Adarius, who signed with North Carolina and Mike, who signed with Alabama.
And of course at UTC, Baylor quarterback Jacob Huesman, the Division II-AA Mr. Football award winner, signed to play for his father, Russ, the Mocs’ head coach. McCallie tight end Jarrod Coleman also signed with UTC, joining older brother B.J., the Mocs’ quarterback. Their father, Bryon, also played for the Mocs.
“The family history is a really huge deal for me,” Jarrod Coleman said. “It was a major factor in me wanting to play for UTC. When my dad played there, it was big-time football and they won championships. And now B.J. is helping the program get back to that point and I want to be a part of helping us get there.
“Me and B.J. talked about it all the time. We grew up hearing game stories from daddy, so it’s an honor to follow in his footsteps. I don’t even know if the UTC coaches knew what a big deal it is to me. Coach [Will] Healy was my recruiter and every time he would call to check up on me I was like, ‘I’m yours, baby. You don’t have to worry about me going somewhere else.'”
One other common factor for each of those area players was that they never wavered. All made verbal commitments months ago and stuck with their program of choice, which meant a signing day without much drama locally.
But outside our area, the wackiest recruiting story of the day also involved family. Floyd Raven, a four-star cornerback from Reserve (La.) East St. John High School, had his heart set on signing with Texas A&M. The problem was his mother, who wanted him to sign with Ole Miss, forged his name on his Letter of Intent and faxed it in to the Rebels.
Unaware of what his mother had done, Raven faxed his own LOI in to A&M later. Fortunately for Raven, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt voided the signed pledge he had received, allowing the teenager to officially become an Aggie and gave new meaning to the old adage, “you can choose your friends [or in this case your football program], but you can’t choose your family.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.