McCallie's Corey McDonald has committed to Austin Peay.
Soddy-Daisy football coach Justin Barnes instructs offensive lineman Grant Cordell during practice last season. Cordell has committed to Tusculum.McCallie's JaVaughn Craig and Corey McDonald each committed to Austin Peay, and Soddy-Daisy's Grant Cordell committed to Tusculum.
Craig (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) and McDonald (6-1, 290) were both members of the Times Free Press Dynamite Dozen this past preseason and committed to new Austin Peay head coach Will Healy, who developed a relationship with the pair while recruiting them as an assistant at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He took the job with Austin Peay after this past season, when UTC reached the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the second year in a row.
"The energy and enthusiasm surrounding the program is unreal," Craig said. "The coaching staff is a world-class staff who is concerned not only about football but building life-long relationships. Coach Healy was the first person to ever give me a chance and believe in me, and I know he cares about me as a person.
"The people that make up the university are amazing and very supportive. It's an amazing place, and it's the place to be. We will win games. And we will win an OVC (Ohio Valley Conference) championship and eventually a national championship. That is the mindset of everyone in the program."
Craig accounted for more than 630 total yards and nine touchdowns last season, when he also had 37 tackles and two interceptions on defense. While other programs, including Georgia Tech, had been recruiting Craig on defense, he said that Austin Peay coaches told him he would begin his career on offense as either a receiver or quarterback. He chose the Governors over Tennessee Tech, Western Carolina and Charleston Southern.
McDonald made 53 tackles, including 32 solo, and had five for loss, as well as a sack, five quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries.
"Coach Healy had a relationship with those guys from when he was recruiting for UTC," McCallie coach Ralph Potter said. "There's a lot of excitement up there now. They're building a program, and early playing time is attractive to a lot of good athletes.
"Corey has really good size and is very strong, and JaVaughn could play any of three positions (quarterback, receiver, defensive back) and be really good for them."
Cordell (6-4, 275) is a three-year offensive line starter who graded out at better than 90 percent for an offense that totaled more than 4,000 total yards this past season. During his high school career, he gave up just three sacks in nearly 600 pass attempts.
"I love the campus, and I really like the new coaching staff that's there," Cordell said. "Their mindset is they want to bring championships back to Tusculum, and I like that.
"It's a huge relief to have the decision over with. I was kind of stressing about it for a couple of weeks, but when I finally made the call it was like a big weight was off my back."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.