By Adam MacDonald
VALDOSTA — What happened in the Lowndes’ gym on Wednesday morning could go a long way in determining the future success of the Florida State Seminoles, particularly their secondary.
Lowndes seniors Greg Reid and Gerald Demps officially signed their letters of intent to play for the Seminoles at Lowndes’ Signing Day on Wednesday.
Free safety Michael Mitchell also signed a letter of intent to play at the University of West Georgia.
Wide receiver Darius Howell wasn’t at the signing, but Valdosta State said he will become a Blazer.
“I’m proud of all the players,” Lowndes head coach Randy McPherson said. “They worked hard, and they deserved it.”
Reid announced Tuesday night on the WinnersvilleSports.com Radio Report that he would be playing football at Florida State. When he arrived at Signing Day 14 hours later on Wednesday morning, he was still wearing the FSU cap he put on at his Tuesday announcement.
“I felt like the coaching staff wants to win, and that’s what I like to do,” Reid said. “It’s going to be good, try and win a national championship. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Another reason Reid chose Florida State was because it keeps him close to home.
“We thought he was going to Alabama, but no one really knew,” Reid’s mother, Diane Hart, said. “It was really a toss-up between Alabama and Florida State, and I knew he said he was leaning more towards Alabama than Florida State, but he still wasn’t sure. Being six hours away (at Alabama), that bothered me a little bit because I couldn’t reach him, but still I would have supported him.”
Hart said the recruiting process was long, difficult and intrusive, but she learned a lot and met a lot of great people.
Joining Reid at Florida State is his friend and partner in the defensive backfield, Demps. The recruiting process wasn’t as difficult for Demps, because he knew right away that he wanted to be a ‘Nole. He committed last spring.
“When they first offered me a scholarship, I was like, ‘This is where I want to go,’” Demps said. “Then I did research and saw how many players were possibly leaving and stuff like that, so that’s what made me make my decision.”
Demps has spent his entire life living in Brooks County and Lowndes County, each less than 100 miles from Tallahassee, so his favorite team growing up was always Florida State.
“It’s always been a dream (to play at FSU),” Demps said. “It’s a blessing. I thank God every day for everything he’s done to me and my family. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Seminole and Viking fans could see the duo on the field for the Seminoles as soon as next season. Reid has the skill to start, and Demps said FSU told him to be ready to play safety right away, because they are thin at the position.
“It didn’t take long to figure out that they had that kind of potential,” McPherson said. “It was their efforts in the weight room and in the classroom that gave them this opportunity.”
Reid and Demps will be roommates at Florida State.
“I’m real excited to play with (Demps),” Reid said. “Hopefully I’ll play with Gerald four more years. It was fun all my years at Lowndes High, so hopefully we’ll continue to win and do a good job.”
Mitchell was the other Viking to sign on Wednesday. He signed on to play at Division II West Georgia in Carrollton.
Mitchell, who will play specials teams and in the secondary, said that one of the reasons UWG defensive coordinator James Colzie recruited him was because he is a winner. The Wolves are coming off an 0-10 season and have lost 19 of their last 20 games.
“I come from Lowndes, so I really want to win,” Mitchell said. “When I go up there, I’m going to bring the attitude I had at Lowndes and get the other guys to jump on board.”
One of the attractive things about West Georgia to Mitchell is that every two years the Wolves come to Bazemore-Hyder Stadium to play Valdosta State.
“I’m real excited,” Mitchell said. “My whole family can come see me. Some people go far away and their family can’t come see them.”
Colzie is familiar with Mitchell. He saw Mitchell play when he was the secondary coach at Valdosta State in 2007.
Five other Lowndes players, including Howell, are planning to sign on with FCS and Division II schools, but they will wait a few days for the dust to settle.
The players that will be signing soon are Howell, strong safety Marcus Solomon, defensive end Chris Stinson, defensive tackle Henry Harden and defensive tackle Ridge Spivey.
