Some views from signing day at Tucker, Cedar Grove, Columbia and Stephenson.
The 87 DeKalb County college football players who signed on Wednesday cover nearly half the United States map as 63 colleges from 24 different states dipped into the talent rich county to fill up their 2015 signing classes.
The Big 5 Conferences including the Southeastern (6), Atlantic Coast (4), Big 12 (3), Big 10 (1) and Pac 12 (1) accounted for 15 of the signees.
Seven colleges in the state of Georgia signed players including Stephenson’s Chauncey Rivers (DE) and Tucker’s Jonathan Ledbetter (DL) going to the home state Georgia Bulldogs.
South Carolina was second with six colleges picking up DeKalb players including Stephenson’s Dexter Neal (WR) going to the USC Gamecocks.
North Carolina and Kansas each had five colleges signing players from the district. Arabia Mountain’s Jakobi Meyers (QB) and Cedar Grove’s Quentez Johnson (DL) chose North Carolina State.
There is a contingent of 11 DeKalb athletes heading to the state of Kansas including Kansas State signees Isaiah Zuber (WR) of Stephenson, Tucker teammates Yaquis Shelley (DB/ATH) and Elijah Sullivan (LB). The other seven are spread out at Coffeyville (1), Fort Scott (1), Hutchinson (1) and Garden City (5) Community Colleges.
Four California colleges picked up six DeKalb signees led by Cedar Grove wide receivers Eric Hall (Pierce College) and Joseph Comer (Reedley College). Antelope Valley (3) and College of Sequoias (1) Community Colleges collected four players.
Columbia’s Andre Brown (QB, Indiana), Lakeside offensive lineman Michael Horton (Auburn), Dunwoody offensive lineman Nick Buchanan (Florida), Martin Luther King Jr. linebacker Terez Hall (Missouri), Cedar Grove defensive end Gus Cumberlander (Oregon) and Cedar Grove defensive back Christopher Fredrick (Syracuse) were part of the Big 5 Conferences signees. Also in that group was Columbia receiver Shadell Bell signed and enrolled at Clemson in January after graduating early.
A pair of DeKalb athletes is set to further their educations and playing careers at U.S. military academies before entering service to their country. Arabia Mountain’s Yaquarri Adams (DB) and Lakeside’s Kellyen Walker (RB) are headed to Air Force and Army, respectively.
The Southeast is well represented with players headed to colleges in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana.
The Midwest is another strong area with players headed to Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Michigan. The Eastern U.S. states included are West Virginia, Virginia, New York, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Heading west the remaining states in the list are Colorado, California and Oregon.
The list could still reach 100 for the seventh consecutive year as several players are making decisions in the coming week.
See the full list of signees under the football schedule section.