Emanuel Tucker has put pen to paper.
The offensive tackle from New Albany officially signed with Ole Miss on Wednesday morning as part of National Signing day. Tucker is rated by 247sports as the No. 11 prospect in the state of Mississippi.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“For us, fortunately, it's close to go watch him play and watch him progress, and get to keep up with him,” Bulldogs coach Cody Stubblefield said at the ceremony. “So I'm just excited about that.”
The recruiting process was a bit of a rollercoaster for Tucker. At first, he committed to Mississippi State in February, then decommitted in June. Tucker committed to LSU less than two weeks later, then flipped to Ole Miss in early September.
Stubblefield was quick to point out the magnitude that comes with deciding where to play college football, and how hard coming to that decision can be.
“Every kid, regardless of level, has to just kind of weigh everything, put everything down, and then make the best decision for them,” he said. “Those decisions are tough, and it's a decision he's got to make, because he's the one that's going to reap the reward, good or bad from that decision.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTucker will be entering an Ole Miss team days removed from losing head coach Lane Kiffin to LSU. Despite the news, he has confidence that offensive line coach John Garrison and new head coach Pete Golding will keep things similar.
“I feel that it'll be the same,” Tucker said. “We’ve still got Garrison and Pete Golding. He's great.”
Tucker feels all the more ready for Ole Miss after everything New Albany helped him through in his four years there.
“I went through a lot here,” he said. “They helped me get through it, and just got better and better every day.”
Other area FBS signees
Oxford had four players sign on Wednesday. Cornerback Collin Flanigan signed with Vanderbilt, offensive lineman Elliott Chaney with South Alabama, cornerback Kingston Gregory with Old Dominion and receiver Christian Fields with Murray State.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn Kossuth, lineman Gunnar Goodwin signed his letter of intent for Louisiana, but the ceremony will be held at a later date. Athlete Zialis Blackmon of Biggersville will be joining Gregory at Old Dominion. Wes Wiggins, an offensive lineman from Smithville, signed with UAB. Patrick and Preston Crump of Corinth signed with Tennessee-Martin and Murray State, respectively.
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