TYLER, Texas — National Signing Day is one of the most-anticipated days of the year for college sports fans.
However, it is also the day that can change a student-athlete's life forever.
On this day, high school and junior college student-athletes sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to commit to playing athletics at the collegiate level.
Multiple East Texas student-athletes took advantage of Early National Signing Day on December 19, 2018.
The NCAA manages the daily operations of the NLI program while the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) provides governance oversight of the program. The program, which started in 1964 with seven conferences and eight independent institutions, now includes 657 Division I and Division II participating institutions.
The NLI is a voluntary program with regard to both institutions and student-athletes. No prospective student-athlete or parent is required to sign the NLI and no institution is required to join the program.
The NLI is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution:
- A prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the institution full-time for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters).
- The institution agrees to provide athletics financial aid for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters).
If a student-athlete does not fulfill his or her NLI agreement, he or she has to serve one year in residence (full-time, two semesters or three quarters) at the next NLI member institution and lose one season of competition in all sports.
An important provision of the NLI program is a recruiting prohibition applied after a prospective student-athlete signs the NLI. This prohibition requires member institutions to cease recruitment of a prospective student-athlete once an NLI is signed with another institution.
CBS19 is all over the Piney Woods today capturing the moments which will kick-start some of the best years of these student-athletes' lives.
#bEASTTexas signees
ATHENS HIGH SCHOOL
- Kenshawn Barron - Trinity Valley Community College (Football)
ATLANTA HIGH SCHOOL
- Jawan King - Rice (Football)
- Shun Hunter - Kilgore College (Football)
BECKVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
- Jordan Tondreau - LeTourneau (Volleyball)
- Payton Jones - Panola College (Volleyball)
- Courtlyn Nail - TJC (Volleyball)
BIG SANDY HIGH SCHOOL
- Josiah Johnson - Southern Nazarene (Basketball)
BISHOP T.K. GORMAN HIGH SCHOOL
- Alvaro Betencourt - Howard Payne (Football)
- Zack Bradford - Kilgore College (Football)
- Chase Crumpton - Kilgore College (Football)
- Caroline Cruz - San Diego Mesa College (Volleyball)
- Ann Knight - Centenary College (Swimming)
NOTE: Bishop T.K. Gorman High School student-athletes will sign on Friday, February 8, at 3 p.m.
CANTON HIGH SCHOOL
- McGwire Martin - Howard Payne (Football)
CARLISLE HIGH SCHOOL
- Gerald Turner - Trinity Valley Community College (Football)
- Jay Price - Cisco College (Football)
CARTHAGE HIGH SCHOOL
- Tucker Smith - Henderson State (Football)
- Seth Smith - Grayson College (Baseball)
- Junior Salazar - ETBU (Soccer)
- Kaden Holcomb - Louisiana College (Football)
- Gunner Caps - Sam Houston (Football)
- Kevion Booty - TJC (Football)
- Taylor Wills - TJC (Softball)
CHAPEL HILL HIGH SCHOOL
- Khridtion Little - Southern Arkansas (Football)
- Robbie Williams - Northwestern State (Football)
ELYSIAN FIELDS HIGH SCHOOL
- Jade Ashalintubbi - Houston Baptist (Football)
GILMER HIGH SCHOOL
- Lucas Enloe - Blinn College (Football)
- Tra Fluellen - Houston Baptist (Football)
- Bran Webb - Illinois State (Football)
- Madeline Barber - University of Louisiana Monroe (Softball)
- Parker Dodd - BYU (Track & Field)
- Meredith Morrison - North Lake College (Volleyball)
HALLSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
- Tristan Driggers - TJC (Football)
- Blake Trainor - Texas A&M (Football)
- Brayden Johnson - Prairie View A&M (Baseball)
- Gracey Ford - Trinity Valley Community College (Volleyball)
- Bronwyn Buchanan - Northwestern State (Cross Country)
- Chase Amick - Eastfield Junior College (Baseball)
- McKenzie Kidd - LeTourneau (Cross Country)
- Brandon Wadlington - Northwestern State (Cross Country)
HENDERSON HIGH SCHOOL
- Keivie Rose - Louisiana Tech (Football)
- Keshoyn Alexander - Louisiana College (Football)
- Kourtland Jackson - Louisiana College (Football)
- Clayton Conrad - William Penn University (Football)
- Resha Hall - Grambling State (Volleyball)
JACKSONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
- Ke'shoddreyun Fuller - Louisiana College (Football)
- Citlalli Medellin - Jacksonville College (Soccer)
- DeShawn McCuin - TCU (Football)
- Alexia Moreira - TJC (Soccer)
- T.J. Ratliffe - Oklahoma Baptist University (Football)
- Marina Villanueva - Jacksonville College (Soccer)
JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL
- Eric Gipson - Southern Arkansas (Football)
- Trey Hodge - Southern Arkansas (Football)
JOHN TYLER HIGH SCHOOL
- Rod Hawkins Jr. - Hutchison Community College (Football)
- Jarrius Lane - ETBU (Football)
- Christian Hartsfield - Austin College (Football)
- Roy Lampton - Cisco College (Football)
- Isaac Chavez - Jacksonville College (Soccer)
- Cameron Grant - Texas A&M-Commerce (Football)
- Devlen Woods - Texas A&M-Commerce (Football)
- Frankie Sanchez - Navarro (Football)
KILGORE HIGH SCHOOL
- Deiontrae Wheat - Southern Arkansas (Football)
- Guss Witt - Weatherford (Baseball)
LIBERTY-EYLAU HIGH SCHOOL
- Dazawion Cooper - SFA (Football)
- Isaiah Cross - Arkansas-Monticello (Football)
- El-Amin Greer - UT Permian Basin (Football)
- Lamiah George - Arkansas-Little Rock (Track & Field)
LINDALE HIGH SCHOOL
- Hannah Knox - Butler Community College (Softball)
- James Sandifer - Hardin Simmons (Football)
- Jennifer Moyer - Union University (Volleyball)
- Dillon Heinaman - Hardin Simmons (Football)
- Casen Chaney - Texas Wesleyan (Football)
LONGVIEW HIGH SCHOOL
- Jaylon Allen - Tarleton State (Football)
- Marcus Harry - TJC (Football)
- Jacob Johnson - Southeastern Oklahoma (Football)
- Jephaniah Lister - Kilgore College (Football)
- Kamden Perry - Incarnate Word (Football)
- Tainique Taylor - Southeastern Oklahoma (Football)
- Keilyn Williams - Ellsworth Community College (Football)
- Giovanni Enriguez - Presbyterian College (Soccer)
- Jafet Rodriguez - Paris Junior College (Soccer)
- Blaine Wright - LeTourneau (Soccer)
LUFKIN HIGH SCHOOL
- Carl Williams - SFA (Football)
- Bryson Wilson - Southeastern Oklahoma (Football)
- Titan Williams - Coffeyville Community College (Football)
- Tony Boykin - Coffeyville Community College (Football)
- Kewone Thomas - Pittsburg State (Football)
- Demond McKelvey - Southern Arkansas (Football)
- DeAndre Bagley - Southern Arkansas (Football)
MALAKOFF HIGH SCHOOL
- Caleb Adams - Trinity Valley Community College (Football)
MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL
- Brevin Randle - SFA (Football)
- Tahj Washington - Memphis (Football)
- Jeremiah Hood - Houston Baptist (Football)
- Marcus Bledsoe, Jr. - Louisiana College (Football)
- Champ Mathis - Texas A&M-Commerce (Football)
- Dekendrick Bender- Southern Arkansas (Football)
MOUNT PLEASANT HIGH SCHOOL
- Jashon Pogue - UT Permian Basin (Football)
- Dorian Glinton - Kilgore College (Football)
NACOGDOCHES HIGH SCHOOL
- Christian Gonzalez - SFA (Football)
- Brad Williams, Jr. - Blinn College (Football)
PALESTINE HIGH SCHOOL
- Josh Williams - Midwestern State (Football)
- T.J. Dever - Midwestern State (Football)
PARIS HIGH SCHOOL
- Elijah Ellis - Baylor (Football)
- James Neal - Abilene Christian (Football)
PINE TREE HIGH SCHOOL
- Keshon Williams - Tulane (Football)
- Gabe Nelson - UT Permian Basin (Football)
PITTSBURG HIGH SCHOOL
- Keontae Burns - SMU (Football)
- Jaylon Jimmerson - Incarnate Word (Football)
- Antwon Robertson - Southeastern Oklahoma State (Football)
- Keilyn McCain - Kilgore College (Football)
- Camryn Edney - Kilgore College (Football)
PLEASANT GROVE HIGH SCHOOL
- Seth Hopkins - Seminole State (Baseball)
- Garrett Young - UT Dallas (Basketball)
- James Wiggins - Louisiana College (Football)
- Kamren Woods - Ouachita Baptist (Football)
RUSK HIGH SCHOOL
- Jermaine Lewis - Trinity Valley Community College (Football)
SABINE HIGH SCHOOL
- Chadwick Foster - Howard Payne (Football)
SPRING HILL HIGH SCHOOL
- Efren Barcenas - Navarro (Football)
SULPHUR SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL
- Autumn Tanton - Oklahoma Wesleyan University (Volleyball)
- Lexi Whisenhunt - Oklahoma Wesleyan University (Volleyball)
- D’Corian Young - Trinity Valley Community College (Football)
- Jose’ Rodriguez - Louisiana College (Football)
- Keaston Willis - University of Incarnate Word (Basketball)
- Carter Lewis - University of Texas at Tyler (Golf)
TATUM HIGH SCHOOL
- Obadiah "OB" Jones - Southern Arkansas University (Football)
- Jachais Jenkins - Southern Arkansas University (Football)
- Ashton Brown - Panola College (Volleyball)
TENAHA HIGH SCHOOL
- Jaquavion Lloyd - Trinity Valley Community College (Football)
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL
- Myles Washington - Southern Arkansas (Football)
- Kendall Reid - Southern Arkansas (Football)
- Kylee Spriggs - Northeast Texas Community College (Softball)
TROUP HIGH SCHOOL
- Cade Jones - Cisco College (Football)
- Malik Gilliam - Northeastern State (Football)
- Natalie Davenport - LeTourneau (Volleyball)
- Emily Neel - SFA (Cross Country)
TYLER JUNIOR COLLEGE
- Jimmy Price - Washington State (Football)
VAN HIGH SCHOOL
- A.J. Zarate - Henderson State (Football)
WASKOM HIGH SCHOOL
- T.K. Hamilton - Northwestern State (Football)
WEST RUSK HIGH SCHOOL
- Trevor Henson - Louisiana College (Football)
- Darius Richardson - Kilgore College (Football)
WHITEHOUSE HIGH SCHOOL
- Cameron Cantrell - Texas Tech (Football)
- Jaden Haskins - Howard Payne (Football)
- Theron Franklin-Cobb - SFA (Track & Field)
- K.J. Johnson - Texas A&M-Commerce (Football)
- Darius Trimble - Southern Arkansas (Football)
- Johnathan Housley - East Central University (Football)
- Kaitlyn Wood - Brookhaven College (Volleyball)
WINONA HIGH SCHOOL
- Dakota Pullam - Pittsburgh State (Football)
Congratulations to all of those set to continue their athletic and academic careers.
And to quote the GREATEST OF ALL-TIME:
"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game." - Michael Jordan
CBS19 will update this story throughout the day.
If you know of a student-athlete who is signing, please send the following information to news@cbs19.tv:
Student-athlete's name
Picture
High School
Sport
College they're signing with
