The Hornet football team announced that seven players officially signed letters of intent to six different Division I schools on Wednesday for National Letter of Intent Day.
Participating at the junior college level allows athletes who for whatever reason did not have a chance to attend 4-year schools out of high school, a chance to continue their dream of playing football and hopefully earning a scholarship one day. For seven Hornet football players, that path has paid off.
Breontae Matthews, who played left tackle for the Hornets the past two seasons, officially signed with Kansas State University. Matthews came to FC from Washington D.C. and turned into one of the top offensive line recruits in the nation. Full story on Matthews’ journey– Bray’s Redemption article.
With top flight Division I programs like Missouri, Auburn, UCLA, and Arizona State all making a push for his services, Matthews had to weigh his options before landing on Kansas State.
In October when he was starting to receive heavy interest from universities, Matthews said that his decision would come down to really connecting with the coaching staff. To that end, Head Coach Bill Snyder’s tradition of building the football program upon JUCO transfers ultimately won Matthews’ confidence.
Matthews added that the opportunity to come in and replace 2015 First Team All-Big 12 left tackle Cody Whitehair, who is projected to be a first round pick in the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft, was also a contributing factor.
Here is a list of other Hornets who signed letters of intent:
Punter Thomas Bouldin – Indiana State
Tight end Gage Lackey – Indiana State
Quarterback Tanner Hodges – Texas State
Kicker Tavis Guerra – Colorado State
Tight end Tim Holt – University of Nevada Las Vegas
Defensive back Tim Roberts – University of Buffalo
In addition to the seven who have already signed, several other Hornets are still weighing their options. With so many talented Hornets moving on this year, FC Head Coach Tim Byrnes and his staff will have some big shoes to fill next season.