Payton Harris

Staff Writer

    National Signing Day. February 1, 2012. The day when high school seniors make their official decision on where they will be playing college football. For some, it seems like an easy decision, but each student athlete has a different situation. Regardless, choosing a college is most likely the biggest decision these kids have ever made.

    This day is arguably just as important to college football fans. Some college teams that are in need of filling certain positions recruit all year long in hopes of getting the player they want. National Signing Day is the day they finally find out if the work paid off. But which players are most sought after? Rivals Top 100 recruits are the top players in the nation, the ones every school wants. Players like Barry Sanders Jr., Landon Collins, and Cyrus Jones are on this list of top athletes but none were more publicized than the number one high school football recruit in the nation, Dorial Green-Beckham. After a sensational season leading Hillcrest High School to a state championship victory, Green-Beckham sat down on Wednesday to announce his decision as press, friends and family crowded the Hillcrest High School Gym to watch. After thanking his family along with coaches and teammates, Dorial placed a “Mizzou” hat on his head as he announced his decision to attend The University Of Missouri. His decision shocked some who thought he would pick a bigger football school such as Oklahoma or Auburn. It seems that Dorial just wanted to be in his home state of Missouri. The Mizzou football team has done well throughout the past few seasons, but has yet to win a conference or national championship. “I’m ready to get out there and do what I can for the University,” said Green-Beckham after the signing. Will Dorial show out in his upcoming years, and possibly help lead the tigers to a championship? We will soon find out.

        Lone Oak High football players also sat down to sign their letters of intent on Wednesday. Senior football players Clayton Cain (Western Kentucky) and Carson Isenberg (Harding University) were excited to announce their decisions. Carson will be playing in Arkansas at Harding University in the fall. “It felt great that all of my hard work finally paid off,” said Carson after the signing. Clayton Cain won’t be too far away from his hometown fans at Western Kentucky University. “The recruiting process is a lot more complicated than people think. It has been stressful but I had fun on my visits at WKU and I’m ready to go,” said Cain.  Cain joins former LOHS standout Jamarielle Brown who will be a senior on the Hilltoppers’ team.

    It’s exciting to see local favorites and nationally-renowned seniors make decisions about college and look forward to watching their performances on the gridiron.