Wednesday — National Signing Day for the early signing period — was a celebratory occasion around the Golden Triangle for a handful of players.
Four local players from Starkville and West Point high schools, including graduating seniors and junior college transfers, announced their intentions to play football at the NCAA level. Here’s a quick recap of the players who signed and where they’ll be playing football in the future.
Starkville
OL Chris Hayes — Southern Miss
Fresh off a state championship in Hattiesburg, Starkville lineman Chris Hayes officially signed with the University of Southern Mississippi on Wednesday.
The Yellow Jackets’ MHSAA Class 6A state championship was even sweeter for Hayes, who will be spending his next four years playing at M. M. Roberts Stadium.
“The Southern Miss coaches, they told me when I got there, you’re playing at your new home,” Hayes said. “I loved it. I enjoyed the win we got that night on my home field.”
Hayes described the Golden Eagles program as a second family and one where he knew that he would be competing hard for a starting spot, but the opportunity was there.
What better way to get better acquainted with a new destination than by winning a state championship there?
DE Eric Thomas Jr. — Alcorn State University
One of the backbones of Starkville’s defense this season, 6-foot-3 edge rusher and defensive end Eric Thomas Jr. made his commitment official on Wednesday as he’ll be playing at Alcorn State.
The decision was a no-brainer for him, and looking at his body of work with the Yellow Jackets, he’s going to fit in nicely with the Braves.
“I felt blessed when I signed,” Thomas said. “I knew I had to be focused, so I just took that chance and went on the right way.”
Thomas will feel right at home playing in Lorman, but he’ll have to go up against the alma mater of head coach Chris Jones, Jackson State, something the two joked about on stage.
He recorded 109 total tackles this season, averaging 7.3 tackles per game, and registered 16 sacks for Starkville.
West Point
OL Jamarr Davis — Buffalo
Davis was one of two junior college products and West Point alums to make his commitment official on Wednesday, as the 2021 Green Wave graduate will be heading to the Mid-American Conference and the University of Buffalo.
The 6-foot-4 offensive lineman has spent the last two seasons playing at Northwest Community College, where he played in nine of the Rangers’ 12 games this season.
Making the jump to a known Division I school like Buffalo will be a challenge from the start, but it’s one that Davis is looking forward to.
“It was a pretty hard decision, but talking with my parents, family, friends, I got a good understanding of where I wanted to go and where I needed to be,” Davis said. “That was Buffalo.”
Davis is entering a strong program at Buffalo — the 2020 MAC champions, division champions two of the past five years and a bowl-eligible team four of the past five years.
OL Frank Bean — Mississippi College
Bean, also a 2021 West Point graduate, has spent the past two seasons playing for Itawamba Community College before Wednesday’s announcement that he’ll be headed to Mississippi College in Clinton.
The Division II Choctaws are in need of offensive line help after winning four games each of the past two seasons, a perfect jumping-off point for the center.
“They welcomed me with open arms,” Bean said. “… Playing at West Point, it prepared me a lot. If I didn’t go to West Point, I don’t know where I would be.”
While at Itawamba CC, Bean was named a recipient of the 2022 Bennie Abram LEGACY Award, given to an athlete that maintains a GPA of 3.0 or above and one who best reflects the legacy of former Ole Miss player Bennie Abram.
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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 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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