The fit was unique for Derrick Beckom Jr.
The Columbus High School football standout said his decision to attend Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston helped him “learn more about how to be a man and to take care of his business.” In continuing to keep God first, Beckom Jr. wondered where he would find the next best fit in his football career.
A visit to Harding University, in Searcy, Arkansas, on Nov. 3 helped him discover the next step in his journey.
On Wednesday morning, Beckom Jr. showed off the right fit by wearing a gray suit with a gold tie — the school’s colors are black, gold, and white — and a gray knit hat with Harding University stitched in white and black stripes and a school logo. The hat fit snugly over Beckom Jr.’s dreadlocks.
“When I visited Harding University and I saw the atmosphere of the school and how everything went together, I kind of felt like that would be home pretty soon,” Beckom Jr. said. “I am different from everybody else (when asked why he bought a knit hat rather than a baseball hat). This hat just feels comfortable on my head. If I wear a normal hat, it doesn’t fit right. It just keeps falling off.”
Beckom Jr. was one of 14 MGCCC players to sign with four-year schools Wednesday, the first day of the new early signing period. The 5-foot-9, 198-product of Columbus High was fifth on the team in tackled with 59. He also had two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and four pass breakups for the Bulldogs, who finished 7-2 this season.
Harding, which is located in Searcy, Arkansas, finished No. 20 in the final American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches Poll. It is the fifth time in the last seven seasons Harding has finished nationally ranked. It was No. 19 in 2012, No. 17 in 2014, No. 6 in 2016, and No. 6 in 2017. Since 2012, Harding is 67-18 (.788), which is more wins than any other college football team in the state of Arkansas in that span.
Harding was 9-3 (9-2 in the Great American Conference) this season.
As a standout at Columbus High, Beckom Jr. played for coach Randal Montgomery. He had 124 tackles, five tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, three interceptions, one punt block, one forced fumble, and one quarterback hurry as a senior. He was selected to play in the Max Emfinger All-American Bowl. As a junior at Columbus High, Beckom Jr. had 73 tackles, including six for loss, three interceptions, and six pass deflections.
Beckom Jr. said Columbus High was a “special place,” which motivated him to come back and to share his decision with family, friends, and school administrators. He said he hopes to become a coach or a trainer.
“The last two years I learned I am actually smarter than I thought I was,” Beckom Jr. said. “Gulf Coast brought everything out of me that I didn’t realize I had. I thought I was a decent player, but Gulf Coast made me better in every aspect of the game. Mentally I am stronger and physically I am stronger.”
In regard to Columbus High, Beckom Jr., who played pee wee football in Propst Park in Columbus, said, “This is where I started my career. When it is all said and done I hope I will be able to come back one day.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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