By the time most of you read this column the majority of College Football’s winter harvest will be in the barn ‘so to speak’. And whatever is left in the field will either have one of the harvester’s name on it or there will be a mad scramble to see who can get it in their barn first.

Of course I feel certain most all of you know that I’m speaking figuratively here and that none of the college programs are literally stocking their barns or silos with any kind of grain or other silage. That is of course with the possible exception of one or more of the colleges and universities scattered across this country which have an agricultural school included among their degree programs. Even at those institutions I doubt very seriously they would be making a winter harvest and even if they did I’m pretty certain no one associated with the football program would have anything to do with it.

Instead as most of you have deduced by now I’m talking about the football recruiting war that has been going on for over a year now and national signing day which was scheduled for Wednesday, February 3. There is nothing short of the football season itself that stirs as much interest in the world of college athletics as the football recruiting process which in truth never ends or for that matter never even takes a break.

Not only does the interest in this process run deep in the ranks of the administration, faculty, and coaches at each institution but also among the majority of each school’s alumni. Add in the millions who have never set foot on a college campus but who consider themselves as much an ardent football fan as any of the school’s current or former students and there are very few households in this country that aren’t interested to some degree in what’s going on in the world of college football recruitment.

In the South it is somewhat like a fever that spreads rapidly and entrenches itself for the duration. As you might imagine it is a major topic of conversation in all the places where you would usually expect it but it also finds its way into many areas where the average person might least expect it. And contrary to what some might believe it is not a phenomenon found only amongst the male population but one that even many females are astute in.

Right here in our area I venture to say you would find that a large majority of the people you talk to would at least be vaguely familiar with what the recruiting process is all about and the significance of national signing day. Within that group there would even be some who probably could name every high school player who has committed to sign with their favorite school and many who didn’t and what program they subsequently chose. There would even be some who could sum up all the pertinent facts about each athlete including their size, time in the 40 yard dash, their academic credentials and a lot of superfluous information you wouldn’t care to know.

Needless to say the football recruiting process is a big deal to a lot of people.

With that in mind I thought it might be interesting to find out just how many young men in our general coverage area signed a football scholarship on national signing day or will be in the not too distant future. After canvassing the majority of the high schools in Clarke, Marengo, and Wilcox County this is what I found.

In Clarke County Thomasville High School had two to sign on national signing day with Jay Williams signing with Alabama as a punter and Josh Jackson signing with Samford as a linebacker. Jackson High School had one in the person of LaPrentiss Morris signing with Tuskegee as a defensive back.

Over in Marengo County Sweet Water High School’s Johnny Lockett signed with South Alabama as a running back and at Linden High School Justin Delaine signed with Auburn as a defensive end. Moving over to Thomaston I found where A. L. Johnson’s Jeron Boykin signed with Troy as an offensive lineman. Topping the list in the three county area was Demopolis High School where four young men signed on the dotted line. Included in that group were Larry Cobb and Anthony Hardy who signed with Tuskegee as a wide receiver and safety respectively; Martaze Jackson who signed with Tennessee as a defensive end; and Fred Irby who signed with Jacksonville State as a wide receiver.

Of course as is always the case, there are a few more that still might get an opportunity depending on several things that will take place over the next couple of weeks. All in all not a bad showing for this little section of Southwest Alabama and certainly enough to keep those recruitment fires burning in our area.

Until next time…be safe!