Six of the top scholar athletes from A.H. Parker High School's football team signed their Letters of Intent today in front of family, friends, teammates, teachers, coaches, media, and community well-wishers today.
Two of the nation's top defensive backs, Timothy Merritt and Na'eem Offord, "flipped" their choices at the last minute, providing some drama to the proceedings and making two college football fanbases very happy.
Next order of business: Parker vs. Saraland for the state championship on Friday!
Here's where these members of the Herd are heading next season (rankings provided by ESPN):
Defensive end Caleb Smith (#38 player in state) signed with the University of Washington Huskies.
Wide receiver Clarence Taylor (#46 in the state) affirmed his commitment to the Colorado State University Rams.
Strong safety Joseph Holt (#6 in the state) will play for Georgia State University next fall.
Defensive lineman Jourdin Crawford, the eighth-best player in the state and sixth-best nationally at his position, signed with Auburn University (after teasing the crowd with an LSU hat). Crawford chose Auburn over 18 other scholarship offers.
Cornerback Timothy Merritt, #23 player in the state and #45 nationally at his position, flipped to the University of Tennessee Volunteers over previous commitment University of Miami (FL). Merritt fielded 17 offers in total.
Cornerback Na'eem Offord, the top player in the state and the best cornerback in the nation, surprised the crowd by choosing the University of Oregon Ducks over Ohio State University (who he had previously committed to) and Auburn University. 29 schools offered the star corner a scholarship.