By Staff
Kim West
FCT Sports Editor
The official signing day for college football is only two months away, and at least four local players are expected to continue their playing careers.
Red Bay's Josh Senkbeil and Russellville's Caleb Mitchell, Kory Suggs and Josh Montgomery are among those players who have received avid attention from college recruiters.
Senkbeil, a senior running back with 4.6 speed, rushed for 1,730 yards and accounted for 28 touchdowns for the 13-1 Tigers, who won the Class 2A, Region 8 championship and advanced to the state semifinals. He is listed at 6-1, 205 pounds and was named first-team All-State, All-Area and All-County.
Senkbeil has drawn interested from a handful of NAIA teams, and will likely sign with a school such as Tennessee's Lambuth College or Huntingdon College in Montgomery.
Mitchell, a senior safety, wide receiver and kick returner with 4.5 speed, intercepted five passes and made 49 tackles, while scoring nine touchdowns on offense for the 10-2 Golden Tigers, who advanced to the second round of the state playoffs and finished second in the region. He is listed at 6-0, 170 pounds and has received All-State, All-Area and All-County recognition as a junior and senior.
Mitchell has received interest from several SEC schools, including Alabama, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, along with Division I schools Middle Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech, and is currently undecided on his No.1 school.
Suggs, a senior linebacker and running back, finished with 12 sacks, 90 total tackles and one interception and added six touchdowns on offense. He is listed at 6-3, 215 pounds and earned All-State, All-Area and All-County honors this season.
Suggs will likely play for Jack Crowe at Jacksonville State, a Football Championship Subdivision school (formerly Division I-AA) that competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Russellville senior kicker Josh Montgomery is also garnering interest at the next level, and could be lining up kicks at Mississippi State or the University of North Alabama next fall. Montgomery, who owns a handful of school and state PAT career records, converted six-of-seven field goals and was 42-of-44 on extra point attempts this season.
Franklin County traditionally has several players who sign football scholarships each spring, whether it's at the junior college, NAIA, Division II or Division I level, and the recruiting season always provides some surprises since verbal commitments are non-binding – stay tuned until Feb. 6.
Kim West is sports editor for The Franklin County Times. She can be reached at kim.west@fct.wpengine.com or (256) 332-1881, ext. 30.