T.R. Miller Tiger senior football player Caleb McAnally joined the numerous amounts of other high school football players across the nation Wednesdsay on National Signing Day as he signed a letter of intent to play football next fall at Carson-Newman in Tennessee.
McAnally, a 6-0 280 pound offensive lineman, helped lead the Tigers to a 9-3 record this season. T.R. Miller advanced to the second round of the AHSAA state playoffs before losing 21-19 to eventual state champion Handley.
“It feels good to sign with Carson-Newman today,” McAnally said. “It has been something I have always worked towards doing and something my whole life I have always wanted to do. It is really an accomplishment. I loved the place up there. It is really a good setup. They have unbelievable facilities that are top of the line. The coaches are really nice and genuine.”
McAnally, who wants to go into the medical field and possibly become an RN, made the Alabama Sportswriters Associations class 3A’s first team all state football team for offensive line. McAnally also made the team for the 2010 season.
He is the first Tiger to make the list as a first-teamer in back-to-back years since 2001 when Tigers Patrick Byrne and Rayvon Howard made the team in 2000 and 2001.
T.R. Miller Tiger head coach Jamie Riggs said he thinks Carson-Newman will be good fit for McAnally.
“Caleb has been a very dedicated player for us here at T.R. Miller,” Riggs said Wednesday after the signing. “He has been a three-year starter on the offensive line for us. Carson-Newman is a really good place for him. They run an option offense and it is not necessary to be 6-4 to play the offensive line. I think it will really be a good place for him. He has been the leader of our offensive line the past two years. We would run behind him a lot of the time. I think he will do well.”
The Eagles of Carson-Newman went 5-6 in 2011 and is led by head coach Ken Sparks who just finished his 32nd year as head coach at the school.
The Eagles compete in NCAA-II in the South Atlantic Conference and have won five NAIA titles in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, and 1989.
According to a press release from the Jefferson City school, Sparks announced that the Carson-Newman Eagles have signed over 39 student-athletes to their 2012 football recruiting class on National Signing Day.
Sparks enters his 33rd season at Carson-Newman this fall with 299 career victories.
“We’re very excited a lot of good young men and good football players are trusting us with the next four of their lives,” Sparks said Wednesday afternoon. “We’re glad to be a part of the process of helping these young men be everything God created them to be. We’ve got a late start on some, so we’ve still got work to do on getting more pieces in place.”
McAnally is the son of Gerald and Sharon McAnally and Lisa McAnally.
The following is a list of the 2012 Carson-Newman football signees from their Website—http://www.cneagles.com/sports/m-footbl/2011-12/releases/20120201n02psq. (According to the Website, updates will be made to the signing class as they are received throughout Wednesday and into Thursday. Continue to visit this page as information continues to be posted as it is received.)
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
Casey Akin WR 6-2 180 Ramer, Tenn./McNairy Central
Jamaal Donald OL 6-0 255 Memphis, Tenn./White Station
Codi Drummond DE 6-3 285 Barbourville, Ky./Knoxville Central
Jay Fields LB 6-2 220 Atlanta, Ga./Whitefield Academy
Seth Fleshman OL 6-1 275 Morristown, Tenn./Morristown West
Quandarious Greer DB 5-10 170 Lewisburg, Tenn./Marshall County
Jerima Gregg WR 5-10 180 Morristown, Tenn./Morristown West
Judson Haley LB 5-11 210 Marietta, Ga./Harrison
Xavier Harper RB/LB 5-7 185 Knoxville, Tenn./Karns
Frederick Houston RB 5-8 180 Memphis, Tenn/Memphis Central
Taylor Huey OL/DL 6-2 255 White House, Tenn./White House
Carlos Hutton DB 5-11 165 Carrollton, Ga./Carrollton
Cadari Lindsey OL/DL 6-0 245 Memphis, Tenn./Overton
Shawn Maddox DE 6-0 240 Lewisburg, Tenn./Marshall County
Drew Manning LB 5-11 205 Chattanooga, Tenn./Ooltewah
Mitchell Marable DT 6-1 285 Memphis, Tenn./Briarcrest Christian
Bryce Martin LB 6-0 205 Elberton, Ga./Elbert Co.
Joshua (Caleb) McAnally OL 6-0 280 Brewton, Ala./T.R. Miller
Cornelious Metcalfe ATH 6-0 200 Sulligent, Ala./Sulligent
Eric Miles DB 5-8 150 Antioch, Tenn./Antioch
Suterryck Montgomery ATH 5-9 150 Memphis, Tenn./Trezevant
Khaleel Muhammed DB 6-0 170 Memphis, Tenn./Cordova
William Nance OLB 5-11 205 Lewisburg, Tenn./Marshall County
Travon Nichols WR 5-8 190 Hillsborough, N.C./Cedar Ridge
Blair Nix Jr. OL 6-2 275 Bainbridge, Ga./Bainbridge
Ben Ross OL 6-0 260 Nashville, Tenn./Hillsboro
Matt Rust WR 6-1 170 Murfreesboro, Tenn./Riverdale
Hunter Sanders QB 6-2 220 Maryville, Tenn./William Blount
Matthew (Chris) Sanders OL/DL 6-2 265 Clarksville, Tenn./Montgomery Central
Matthew Sealor WR 6-1 170 Chattanooga, Tenn./Ooltewah
Austin Sigler OL 6-1 280 Granite Falls, N.C./South Caldwell
Colin A. Smith WR/DB 6-0 170 Jacksonville, Fla./Paxson School
Tyler Stewart DB 6-0 180 Knoxville, Tenn./Karns
James Stone DE/TE 6-0 200 Chattanooga, Tenn./Ooltewah
Dante Thomas DB 5-10 175 Dalton, Ga./Dalton
De’Andre Thomas QB 6-0 190 Milledgeville, Ga./Baldwin
Bradley Tallman TE 6-2 260 Bluff City, Tenn./Tennessee High
Malachi Tullis LB 6-0 220 Antioch, Tenn./Cane Ridge
Edgar Williams V LB/DB 5-11 185 Memphis, Tenn./Overton