STARKVILLE — “Can anyone here tie a bowtie?”
The call for help went out Tuesday morning. Charlie Cox, Starkville Academy’s 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior lineman, was about to join teammate Cole Owens in announcing his college football destination and wanted to look good.
It took a while to find reliable help, but once the tie was on, it was all smooth sailing as Cox announced he was going to play at Jones County Junior College, while Owens made official his choice of Belhaven University.
Belhaven had an ace in the hole when it came time to recruit Owens — his brother Ben, who will be a fifth-year senior quarterback for the Blazers in the fall.
“I’ve never gotten to play with my brother before, so I think it will be a pretty cool experience getting to play with him and take the field with him, so I’m looking forward to it,” Cole Owens said Tuesday morning at an event to celebrate Owens signing with Belhaven and Charlie Cox signing with Jones County Junior College.
“Cole going to Belhaven is extra special because Ben’s there,” said Chase Nicholson, Starkville Academy’s head football coach and athletic director. “I’ve been able to coach both those guys, two brothers going to the same school, and CJ’s over there with him right now, so that’s a special thing for me as a coach.”
C.J. is C.J. Jackson, another former Volunteer who will be a sophomore running back for the Blazers in the fall. Seeing three of his former players on the same college football team had Nicholson almost giddy with excitement.
“A lot of coaches’ goals, I think, are to get kids to the next level and stuff like that,” Nicholson said. “I don’t necessarily see that as a goal of mine; I see it as turning good men into better men, good boys into men. But when these opportunities come up, as a coach I’m super proud. That’s all I feel right now, nothing but pride.”
Despite the presence of both his brother and a former high school teammate on the Belhaven roster, Owens said he considered other schools and said he had an offer from Mississippi College. In the end, it was a personal feeling that swayed him.
“Every school that has a football program has good weight rooms and good meals, but the people is what really separates it — the players, the coaches,” Owens said of Belhaven. “I could see myself being there the next four years and becoming one of those people.”
Still, Ben’s presence certainly paved the way for Cole.
“Getting to see him play there and meet the coaches, I realized what a special place it is,” Cole Owens said.
The Blazers, an NCAA Division III program, are coming off of a 7-3 season, including a 6-3 mark in the American Southwest Conference.
Meanwhile, Cox’s path wasn’t quite as smooth, although in the end he felt equally comfortable with his choice.
“It was a tricky situation, because I committed to Northwest and then I decommitted,” Cox explained. “I knew right when I committed that something didn’t feel right.”
Discovering Jones certainly did, he said.
“I just made my decision, and then that’s when my heart felt good and I felt warm inside,” Cox said.
Much like his teammate, Cox found the people made the biggest impact on his decision.
“They don’t have the nicest stuff, it’s not the nicest campus, but what they do give you is love and respect,” Cox said of the staff at Jones. “And what else do you want from coaches?”
Love and respect were flowing from Nicholson, who praised Owens and Cox as “good dudes” several times during the event.
“They are two of the hardest-working guys,” Nicholson said. “They are two great leaders. Charlie was elected as a captain by his teammates, and Cole was later appointed by his fellow captains to be a member of the captains.
“They are what you want in a football player, as a senior, as a leader. Smart, high IQ football, I could brag on ‘em all day. Really, really good dudes.”
Cox won’t have a brother on the Jones roster, but he will see a familiar face on campus. SA quarterback Randall Futral signed with Jones earlier this year to play baseball.
“Charlie going to Jones is a big deal,” Nicholson said. “He’s going to have teammates, Randall down there playing baseball.
“To have him be able to take that step at that level as a long snapper and do whatever they ask him to do from there is really exciting. We’ve never done that before. We just haven’t had that many kids leave this program and go and play.”
Jones played at a high level last fall. The Bobcats opened the season 7-0, went 5-1 in the MACCC and finished 8-2 after a 26-20 loss to Northwest Mississippi in the playoffs.
Regardless of records, Nicholson is looking forward to seeing what the college football experience has in store for Owens and Cox.
“They will have an opportunity to continue to play the great game of football at the next level,” Nicholson said. “They’re going to meet people from all over the state and all over the country, and they’re going to have the opportunity to grow as men and I’m looking forward to watching that.
“They set the standard, they set the bar, they set a path.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion