Tiffany Huddleston knows she will be asked the question.
But being a “bulldog at heart” made it easier for the Starkville Academy rising junior to give a verbal commitment to play soccer at Mississippi State.
Still, with more than a year remaining until she can make her decision final, Huddleston is bound to field phone calls or inquiries from coaches, family members, and friends who are curious if she is going to hold true to the choice she made months ago.
No worries. Huddleston is prepared.
“I plan on things staying the way they are,” Huddleston said. “If something dramatic changes I guess I would consider it, but I see myself playing at Mississippi State in two years. I know I haven”t signed, but I guess I am thinking like I already have.”
Huddleston won”t be able to sign a national letter of intent until early in her senior season. Until then, the midfielder will have to focus on playing a key role this season for a Starkville Academy soccer team intent on improving on its 9-7-1 finish from last season.
Huddleston said there was no sense in prolonging a recruiting process in which MSU was the dream destination. Growing up in Starkville, Huddleston is familiar with the school and considers it a natural place to continue her soccer career.
“A lot of people growing up in Starkville can”t wait and say they want to get out of Starkville and try something new,” Huddleston said. “I did think about that, but I just feel like Mississippi State is the best fit for me.”
Huddleston also is a mainstay on the Chicago Fire Juniors of Mississippi Premier 95 team. David Johnson, who has coached Huddleston the past six years on that squad, said it is becoming more common for women”s soccer coaches to ask players to commit to their school earlier. He said the practice of players giving verbal commitments before their junior season isn”t as common on the men”s side.
“It is really up to the individual,” Johnson said. “If they have an offer and they”re happy with that offer and happy with the institution, it is a win-win for the university to get a commitment from a player they”re after.”
Johnson feels MSU coach Neil Macdonald and his program have landed a player who projects as a contributor at midfield or on defense. He said Huddleston”s athleticism and passion for the sport make her a natural.
In fact, Johnson feels Huddleston is one of the most athletic players in the competitive region.
“She has been fantastic not just as a player but also as a person,” Johnson said. “Seeing her grow and mature has been wonderful.”
Johnson said Huddleston”s understanding of the game and her tactical and technical abilities have improved since he started coaching her. He also said she is better able to pass and to trap a ball with speed and control more consistently when she faces pressure.
Playing the game one step faster is something Huddleston will have to do in college. With the Southeastern Conference growing in strength in women”s soccer, Huddleston knows she will have to take her game to another level. She said she is anxious to reach those goals in MSU”s Maroon and White.
“I just need to develop as a player as a whole, not just my physical game, but also my mental game and my awareness,” Huddleston said. “I see myself as an attacking player, but I do play defender some. I could get there in two years and the coaches will see something completely different, so it depends on how I grow as a player.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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