National Signing Day: Live updates as Tuscaloosa area football players make their college choices

Brett Greenberg

The Tuscaloosa News

National Signing Day for high school athletes arrived Wednesday for the second time in a span of less than two months, and many area football players inked scholarship papers to continue their playing careers at the college level.

Here is a roundup of West Alabama-area players who signed:

Antawn Abrams, Holt This 5-foot-11, 245-pound center for the Ironmen signed with Missouri Valley College, an NAIA school located in Marshall, Missouri.

He chose Missouri Valley over Pikeville and Bethel University.

"Thank you to the coaches who are believing in me and thank you to coach (Curtis) Graves for giving me a sense of purpose in my community," Abrams said.

Zelly Aldridge, Linden This free safety from the Patriots' Class 1A state championship team signed with North Alabama.

Johnny Blackmon, Linden A wide receiver on the 1A state championship squad, Blackmon signed with Faulkner, an NAIA school.

Logan Browning, Bibb County Browning, a defensive lineman for the Choctaws, signed with Delta State, an NCAA Division II program located in Cleveland, Mississippi. Reginald Chapman, Central A 6-foot, 225-pound inside linebacker for the Falcons, Chapman signed to play at Pikeville, an NAIA school in Kentucky.

He choose Pikeville over Thomas More, Kentucky Christian and Campbellsville.

Tramaine Chism, Hillcrest A 6-3, 307-pound defensive tackle for the Patriots, Chism signed to play at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi.

Chism had interest from Dodge City and New Mexico Military Institute.

"Tramaine has an all-round positive attitude," said Hillcrest coach Sam Adams. "He made practices and games more enjoyable for his teammates and coaches."

Tyrik Daniels, Linden

A defensive lineman for the Class 1A state champions, Daniels signed with North Alabama.

Damian Johnson, Holt Johnson, a 6-4, 225-pound H-back, signed with Bethel University, an NAIA program in McKenzie, Tennessee.

Johnson chose Bethel over Pikeville, Missouri Valley, Alderson Broaddus and Point University.

"The coaching staff made me feel comfortable from the jump," said Johnson. "I get to leave Holt and make a name for myself."

Jay Jones, Demopolis Jones, a defensive back, signed with Southern Miss. He is a former Tennessee commit. A three-star prospect, he is rated as the No. 79 safety in the country and the No. 36 player in Alabama by 247Sports.

Tyrrell Mayberry, Gordo This defensive end for the Greenwave played for a team that made it to the Class 4A state championship game in 2020. He signed with NCAA Division II University of West Alabama in Livingston.

.Mayberry is a 6-foot-1 edge rusher who can play defensive end and outside linebacker.

Tolando McCaa, Tuscaloosa County McCaa, a 6-foot defensive lineman for the Wildcats, signed with Bethel University, an NAIA school in McKenzie, Tennessee.

He chose Bethel over Faulkner and Birmingham Southern. He recorded 51 tackles and six sacks in his senior season.

Dayton O'Neal, Holt O'Neal, a 6-1 receiver for the Ironmen, signed with Missouri Valley College, an NAIA school in Marshall, Missouri.

He chose Missouri Valley over Eureka College and Alderson Broaddus University.

"The coaches came to me with unlimited energy from the beginning," said O'Neal. "The foundation Is there and I want to be a part of the process of getting Missouri Valley to the top."

Arnsey Richardson, Central Richardson, a 6-1 running back for the Falcons, signed to continue his football career at Campbellsville University, an NAIA school in Kentucky.

Richardson chose Campbellsville over Iowa Wesleyan and Culver-Stockton, NAIA schools, and NCAA Division III Carthage.

Blake Smith, American Christian Academy This inside linebacker for the Patriots, who made it to the semifinal round of the Class 4A state playoffs, signed with Division II Shorter College, which is located in Rome, Ga.

Smith is a 5-9, 210-pounder who held offers from Birmingham-Southern, Culver-Stockton, Huntingdon and Sewanee.

Peyton Stevenson, Demopolis Rice landed this 6-foot-3, 190-pound athlete. He passed for more than 2,500 yards as a junior quarterback, then moved to receiver as a senior and hauled in 30 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns.

Tim Thurman, Linden A safety and receiver for the Class A state champion Patriots, Thurman committed to play for the Cadets at West Point last August and signed Wednesday.

Thurman, who is 6-1, chose Army over Navy. He is rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.

Cedric Williams, Tuscaloosa County A 6-1 wide receiver for the Wildcats, Williams signed with Point University, an NAIA program located in West Point, Georgia.

Williams also had an offer from Tennessee-Martin.

Darrius Williams, Tuscaloosa County Wright, a 5-11 defensive back for the Wildcats, signed with Faulkner, a Montgomery school that plays NAIA football.

Wright, a three-year starter also held offers from Bethel University, Huntington and Birmingham Southern.

Josh Williams, Linden

A three-star safety prospect, Williams signed with Rice.

He also had offers from Air Force, Army, Dartmouth and Georgia Southern. Bryan Wright, Central This 6-2, 304-pound offensive lineman for the Falcons has signed to play at the NAIA level at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. Wright chose Campbellsville over Sterling College.

"Reginald (Chapman), Arnsey (Richardson) and Bryan are all hard-working young men," said Central coach Rodney Bivens. "I think that's one thing you'll see in each of these players who are signing today."