Five more Trojans sign to colleges

Published 9:15 am Saturday, May 18, 2024

Five more John Milledge Academy student-athletes signed letters of intent to continue their athletic careers beyond high school Tuesday.

Add them to the four that signed on National Signing Day in February, bringing the school’s overall total to nine this year. Seven are from JT Wall’s football team with one softball player and another from girls soccer also in the mix.

A trio of football players are headed to Shorter University after making their decisions official Tuesday. In that group is WR/DB Bud Veal, DB Jaden Dorsey, and DE Isaiah Womble. Defensive tackle Tyrecus Harrison will stay in town to play for head coach Rob Manchester and the GMC Bulldogs. JMA girls soccer player Kenzie Veal is also bound for the GMC campus to join the women’s soccer team under Courtney Morgan.

The three going to Shorter will join defensive tackle teammate Brandon Watson who signed there a few months ago.

Bud Veal was a Trojan all through high school, making a steady impact on both sides of the ball the last three years. He was an All-State, All-Region, and All-County player his sophomore through senior seasons. Veal in 2023 ran for nearly 700 yards and amassed over 500 yards receiving with 18 combined touchdowns. Defensively he had 14 tackles for losses his senior year, and throughout his career he totaled five defensive touchdowns. Almost every time he took the football away from opposing offenses he would return it all the way to the end zone.

“We’re extremely proud of Bud for all his athletic achievements,” coach Wall said.

Veal said he was “born and raised” to play football, so he’s looking forward to the opportunity to continue playing at the next level. With his presence having been felt on both sides of the ball at JMA, the question was put to him about whether he would play offense or defense when he becomes a Shorter Hawk.

“They want me to play offense, but I’m going to try to play both because I can’t sit still,” he said. “Always been that way.”

Also a really good offensive and defensive centerfielder on the baseball diamond, Veal is looking to try and play that sport as well at Shorter.

Accompanying Veal to Rome will be a couple of players that transferred in to John Milledge for their senior years. Isaiah Womble was a standout defensive end and tight end at GMC Prep before becoming a Trojan where he continued to flourish. He far and away led the Trojans in sacks with 10 ½ this past season and was near the team lead in tackles with 79 while also serving as a credible pass-catching threat.

“He was a matchup nightmare,” Wall said. “He created a lot of havoc for opposing offenses and defenses.”

Looking the part of a collegiate defensive end, Womble had opportunities elsewhere, but chose Shorter because of its proximity.

“Shorter was a little bit closer to home,” he said. “It’s not a huge school, so you can focus on what you need to do without too many distractions.”

Defensive back Jaden Dorsey only started playing football as a junior at Greene County High School, but quickly fell in love with the sport. He made an immediate impact upon transferring to JMA at the start of the current school year. So immediate that he hauled in an interception on the very first defensive snap he took this past season against Brentwood. Dorsey went on to earn Honorable Mention All-State, All-Region, and All-County honors with four interceptions and six pass break-ups. His speed is partially what set him apart, which he really showed this spring on the track where he was state champ in the 100-meter dash. Dorsey now owns school records in both that event and the long jump. He’ll play football at Shorter with his teammates and is also looking into running track while there.

Rounding out the group of recent football signees is big Tyrecus Harrison, a transfer in from Baldwin. The 6-foot, 330-pound defensive tackle accomplished a feat that’s very difficult for someone in his position to do, which is to lead the team in tackles with 95. A DT’s job is usually to eat up blockers so linebackers can finish plays, but Harrison was just an absolute nuisance with 12 tackles for losses and 3 ½ sacks on his way to being named Region Defensive Player of the Year, All-State, and All-County.

“He was a force in the middle of our defense,” Wall said. “Everybody we played had to come up with a gameplan to deal with this big human being and he didn’t make their jobs easy.”

In talking with the newspaper after his signing, Harrison talked about why he’s taking his game to the junior college level at GMC.

“I’ve got a great bond with the coaching staff over there,” he said. “I feel like it will be a great environment for me to start my college career and show every coach around the nation that I’m a ball player.”

Tuesday’s occasion carried a little more weight for Harrison than your average signing. He lost his mom to an illness around the start of this school year. At a time when it would have been easy to quit, he found the will to keep going for her.

“Losing my mom last August really deterred me from trying to go to college and play ball because my main supporter wasn’t with me anymore,” Harrison said. “But instead of being sad, I just turned that into motivation because she would want me to go play ball whether she’s here or not. I told her I was going to make it far for her, so I feel like I owe it to her to fulfill that promise. Everything I’ve done since then has been in dedication to her. She was always there for me when I needed something. I love her to death. I just wish she was still here with me so I could celebrate this opportunity with her.”

Rounding out Tuesday’s group was John Milledge’s first girls soccer college signee in at least a decade, Kenzie Veal. She played a little bit of everywhere for the Lady Trojans throughout her career, and will take that versatility with her to GMC.

“Whenever I was a freshman I told my mom I wanted to be one of the first people in a while to sign for soccer,” Veal said. “It means a lot that I was able to accomplish that goal.”

K. Veal added that she chose GMC because of her familiarity level with the local junior college. She hasn’t decided yet whether she’ll play beyond her two years there, but is open to it if an opportunity arises.

Still a few more John Milledge seniors are expected to sign to colleges in the coming weeks for both baseball and football.