From Tribune Reports
National Signing Day is Wednesday, Feb. 1. Offers are starting to pick up, and players are beginning to announce their oral, non-binding, commitments as the day to sign on the line approaches.
Clay-Chalkville’s outstatnding defensive tackle Keilend Clayton committed to East Tennessee State, a member of the Southern Conference.
ETSU’s coach is Carl Torbush, who resurrected the program in 2015. Torbush had been head coach at North Carolina and been a defensive coordinator at Alabama, among other places.
ETSU was 2-9 in its first year back on the field and 5-6 last year, closing with an upset win over No. 18 Samford.
He will join former Cougar Artevius Smith in Johnson City. Smith found playing time as a redshirt freshman, rushing nine times for 57 yards and catching four passes for 35 yards. He also returned five kickoffs for an 18.0 average and made 10 tackles. He started the final two games of the regular season at wide receiver.
In Clayton’s tweet announcing his commitment, he thanked his family and coaches who helped him get to the position of having a college football career. He also thanked the other schools and coaches who recruited him.
Other Cougars have picked up offers.
Running back Tony Gurley and quarterback/athlete Tyrese Sewell each received offers from Point University, an NAIA school in West Point, Ga. Offensive lineman Eddie Rox picked up an offer from Campbell University, an FCS program currently in the Pioneer Football League but moving to the Big South Conference in 2018.
The big target at Clay, Nico Collins, is still uncommitted. The wide receiver played in the Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii on Saturday. Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, Florida State and LSU are all in the running. He likely will not announce until signing day.
Pinson Valley cornerback Ty Woods picked up an offer from Division II Delta State of the Gulf South Conference. Hewitt-Trussville linebacker Nicholas Jackson, the Huskies’ leading tackler for two straight seasons, collected an offer from North Alabama, currently Division II but about to embark upon a transitional period into FCS status in 2018. It will play football in the Big South while its other sports will be in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Linebacker Joshua Bailey and offensive lineman Chipper Lartigue each have offers from Minot State University in North Dakota. Former Husky teammate Kyle Miskelley plays for the DII school, which is in a coaching search at present.
Others have been committed for some time: RB/WR/DB Grayson Cash and DB David Acfalle to UAB and Noah Igbinoghene to Auburn. Christian Smith, The Tribune’s Defensive Player of the Year, is still uncommitted. The big defensive lineman has 11 offers from FBS to FCS schools, but the two-star prospect appears to have Illinois and Appalachian State at the top of the list.
Quarterback Connor Adair has an offer from Gardner-Webb but is uncommitted.