NSD '24: Catholic sends four to the next level
Catholic’s four seniors signed college football scholarships on Wednesday. They include Caleb McCreary (Troy), Jayden Phifer (Delta State), Josh Hildebrand (Colorado School of Mines) and Carson Franklin (Huntingdon). (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
Catholic quarterback Caleb McCreary, for one, was happy. After leading the Knights to the Class 4A state championship, McCreary watched as the university he was committed to lost a coach, then hired another. With all of the uncertainty in college football these days, he couldn’t wait for Wednesday to arrive.
“It’s definitely surreal, seeing a lot of guys go out and play at the highest level is a surreal moment I dreamed of and always wanted to be a part of,” he said.
McCreary signed his letter of intent to play for Troy University on Wednesday, ending a period of uncertainty that followed the Trojans’ former coach, Jon Sumrall, going to Tulane before new coach Gerad Parker, a former offensive coordinator at Notre Dame, was hired.
And while McCreary was always sure he wanted to sign with the Trojans and Parker always conveyed his desire to have McCreary sign with the Trojans, it just feels better now that the say has arrived.
“There have been plenty of conversations, just talks about what my role is going to be coming in, how everything is going to be,” said McCreary, the 2023 Capital City Conference Player of the Year. “I’m just excited to go. He’s a great coach. He’s a winner, I’m a winner, I think we’re going to get a couple of wins together.”
McCreary was one of four Catholic players signing on Wednesday. Defensive back Jayden Phifer accepted an offer from Delta State, long snapper Josh Hildebrand will be attending the Colorado School of Mines and guard Carson Franklin will be attending Huntingdon College.
“When I went on a visit to Huntingdon, it just felt like home,” said Franklin, who also had an offer from Faulkner. “I just knew that was the right place for me to go.”
His story may be the most intriguing. The 5-foot-10, 220-pound guard will be changing positions for the Hawks.
“They’re going to move me to H-back or tight end when I get there,” Franklin said. “I’m excited. I always dreamed about being a tight end, so this is kind of like my dream come true. I knew my (high school) coaches needed me on the O-line but I’m excited to go to tight end.”
Hildebrand, rated by Kohl’s Kicking Camp as the top long snapper in Alabama and the 19th-rated snapper in the country, found a school that offered his major and needed a snapper. After a visit to the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo., he elected to sign with the Division II Orediggers.
“A coach who worked with me at Kohl’s knew me and also knew that coach,” Hildebrand said. “The kicking coach said, ‘Hey, I need a snapper’ and the snapping coach I knew said, ‘Hey, this is the guy you want.’”
Hildebrand plans to major in mechanical engineering, so that became a top priority as well.
“It’s the number one engineering school in the country,” he said, “so for me that’s a perfect fit.”
Phifer, a standout defensive back for the Knights, likes the idea of attending Delta State.
“Just like Catholic, we love winning,” he said. “Nobody likes losers. As Coach ‘J’ (Kirk Johnson) said, it’s fun to win and Delta State is great at winning, so I just want to go to a winning atmosphere.
“I’ve just got to challenge myself. He said there are spots available that are open, I’ve just got to take it.”