National Signing Day: Local student-athletes solidify their plans to continue their athletic careers at the next level

Packed onto one side of Winter Park High’s gym, students, faculty and family members watched with intrigue.

The excitement of the onlookers was matched only by those student-athletes sitting at the long table in front of them.

The pomp and circumstance of the moment, and the donning of collegiate colors of soon to be graduating seniors meant only one thing — National Signing Day.

Coaches came to the forefront to talk about the importance of the moment and praised the student-athletes for their hard work, before each signed their national letters of intent to the schools they will call home. 

With each movement of the pen the crowd broke out into a vociferous roar.

“I’m excited — I’m ready to get on campus right now and play,” said Juanye Tillman, who will be moving to Fargo to play football at North Dakota State University. “I’m going to miss this place. This is where they taught me everything. They made me a better man and a better person.”

Tillman, who played outside linebacker for the Wildcats, hopes to add more talent to a team that has long been a force at the FCS level. NDSU has won six national titles in the last seven years.

The process of looking at colleges has been going on since his junior year, but Tillman said NDSU was the school that gave him his best chance to succeed.

Although college football will be a bit different than high-school ball, the weather will be a challenge, too. For instance, it was in the 80s on National Signing Day in Winter Park; while  it was 6 degrees with a wind chill of -12 degrees in North Dakota.

“I’m just going to have to adapt; it’s going to be something new,” Tillman said. “It’s an adventure.”

While Tillman travels far off, Kaelyn Jones of the Wildcats’ soccer team will stay a bit closer to home.

In the fall Jones will move to Valdosta, Georgia, to play soccer for the Valdosta State University Blazers.

“I went to an ID camp with my friend, and that’s where I saw Valdosta, and then I just kind of went from there,” Jones said. “And they’re close to Florida, so it was easy to go there — it’s 15 minutes into Georgia.”

Like most — if not all — of the 13 student-athletes to sign from Winter Park, a major part of the moment was finally having the recruiting process complete.

“I feel relieved — because I don’t have to stress about it anymore — and excited because I know I have my whole team waiting until we come and join them,” Jones said.