MACON, Ga. — The high school football season has wrapped up. The Perry Panthers took home their first state championship in school history. We saw lots of big plays, exciting comebacks and made plenty of memories to last us til next August. But now it is time to transition to the next phase in the football cycle: Early Signing Day.
It is one of the biggest days in all of college football as players from the top high school programs around the country announce and sign on the dot line on where they plan to play next season.
Some of Central Georgia's finest athletes will be taking part in the big day.
While some recruits will wait until National Signing Day in February, 13WMAZ has a look at some of the Central Georgia talent participating in Early Signing Day.
LATEST UPDATES
Stay with 13WMAZ for the latest updates for all of the student-athlete signees.
Mt. De Sales
Dexter Williams II - Georgia Southern
Houston County High School:
Ricky Johnson - Mississippi State
Kale Woodburn - Cincinnati University
Recardo Tarver - Georgia State
Khahil House - Standford University
Jeremy Blute - Air Force Academy
Jaquari Brown - Georgia Southern
Baldwin High School
Micah Welch - University of Colorado
Warner Robins High School:
Cam Flowers - Western Kentucky University
Isiah Canion - Georgia Institute of Technology
Judd Anderson - University of Miami
Nick Reeves - University of Georgia
Mikhai Isaac - Georgia Southern
Peach County High School:
Cedric Roberts - Alcorn State
Perry High School:
Dakarai Anderson - Cincinnati
Maurice Hayes, Jr. - Bowling Green
Mary Persons High School:
J'vyon Tatum - Alabama State University
Westside High School:
Jiquavious Marshall - Kentucky
Tony Mathis Jr. - Ohio University
Michael Horton - Mercer University
Northside High School:
Ricardo Jones - Clemson
Southwest High School:
Carmelo Mays - Georgia Southern
Duke Watson - Louisville
Bleckley County High School:
Riley Haley - Gordon State College
Rose Reardin - Emmanuel University
WHEN DID NATIONAL SIGNING DAY BEGIN?
The modern-day incarnation of this coveted date on the college football calendar launched in February 1982, after the College Football Association (along with high-profile coaches) successfully lobbied for a universal date for all NCAA football institutions.
Since then, National Signing Day has essentially covered the first Tuesday or Wednesday of February; and within this uniformity, the TV networks (read: ESPN) found a way to market the coverage of the even, not unlike how ESPN transformed interest in the NFL Draft in the early 1980s.
WHEN DID EARLY SIGNING DAY BECOME A THING?
We're entering year 6 of this three-day window in December, where high school seniors can officially sign with their schools of choice before the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
