Two former Union High School players are headed to play at four-year universities.
Former players Jamarcus Jones and Peyton Posey each signed to play at four-year schools last week after playing for two years in the Mississippi junior college system.
Former standout Jamarcus Jones signed to play at the University of Alabama-Birmingham after playing for two years at Gulf Coast Community College.
Jones, who is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, played outside linebacker at Gulf Coast and had 42 tackles in eight games for the Bulldogs.
“UAB signed me as a safety, outside linebacker kind of player,” Jones said. “They do a lot of blitzing. It’s fun playing defense because you can fly around and hit people. It was tough my first year there and I thought about quitting. But I played a lot more last year and it was a lot better.”
Jones said he plans on majoring on computer science and going into cyber security but hopes he gets a chance to play in the NFL.
Posey is headed north to play at Bethel University, a NAIA school in McKenzie, Tenn., after playing for two years at East Central Community College.
Bethel was 11-1 last year and finished beaten in conference play, losing in the first round of the NAIA playoffs.
“They found me in Twitter and wanted me to come for a visit,” Posey said. “They saw my highlights on Twitter and want me to come play defensive end and linebacker. I can either rush the passer or drop into coverage.”
Posey said it was a tough two years at East Central, where he recorded 37 tackles while mainly playing on the defensive line. Posey said he plans on majoring in physical therapy.
Both Jones and Posey were on coach Jordan Wren’s first team at Union.
“I think the coolest thing is once they figured out where they were going, they reached out to me and asked if they could come to the school and I told them I thought that would be great,” Wren said. “It means a lot to us as a school and a community and a football staff. When our kids go off, they come back and realize how great this place is. Once these kids get degrees, they will come back and raise their kids here.”
Wren said he hopes his current and future players see that the four-year offers are out there, even if they don’t get the offers out of high school.
“I think if they don’t get the offer they are looking for or there are some issues with the grades, they now see it’s not the end of life,” Wren said. “They see that they can still go play football and work hard and work on their craft. The one thing they have to understand is it is going to take hard work either way.”
