Five Etowah Football Stars Sign Letters of Intent

National Signing Day is the first day that high school atheletes are allowed to officially sign with a college or university of their choice to play football.

On Wednesday, at a group event at Andretti Indoor Karting in Roswell, five Etowah football players informed the country where they would play college football.

Nicholas Merino

When it comes to Etowah's Nicholas Merino, Fordham coaches didn't have to do too much recruiting, New York City did all the recruiting for them. When asked what drew him to Fordham, Merino was blunt, "The city, definitely the city."

Merino thinks Fordham, located in the New York City, will be a great place to continue his football career and start his professional career, "I felt like it would be a good experience to go up to New York for school and there's a lot of opportunities for internships."

On the football side of things, Merino, who had 78 tackles and three fumble recoveries while playing in Etowah's secondary, thinks he'll get some playing time his freshman year. "The team had some seniors graduate this year and they said I have a really good chance of going up there and getting some playing time," says the senior who's about to take a bite of the Big Apple. "I'm going to work hard to do that."

Christian Harris

It only takes one look at Etowah's 2010 defensive stats to see how dominant Christian Harris was in 2010. The former Eagles star, who officially signed with Tennessee on Wednesday, recorded 127 tackles and two sacks while forcing two fumbles and picking off two passes. Not to shabby for a linebacker.

The talented backer thinks that he can get on the field as a true freshman next season, "If I work hard, I feel like I'm going to have a chance to win a starting spot," Harris says.

Although Harris just signed his letter of intent Wednesday, he gave his verbal commitment to Tennessee almost a year ago. Why did he give it so early? "I was really comfortable with the coaches and the players," says Harris, who also scored a touchdown during his senior season at Etowah. "I feel like Coach Dooley is going to turn the program around."

Harris thinks Dooley will turn the program all the way around, "We have talent, so I think we could have a shot at a national championship in the years to come."

Jason Holdway

If Jason Holdway is going to be successful in college, he's really going to have to put the 'student' in student-athlete. Why is that? The former Etowah star is continuing his football career at Harvard. "Of course I'm nervous about it," Holdway says when asked about the prospect of playing football and maintaining good grades at America's most hollowed place of higher education. "I got good grades in high school, so I'm hoping that I can go to Harvard and do the same thing I did in high school, just at a higher level."

If Holdway's on the field smarts translate to the classroom, he should have no problem keeping up his grades. During the 2010 season, the ball hawk picked off four passes as a defensive back. On the offensive side of the ball, the speedster scored four touchdowns. Harvard coaches have told Holdway he'll be playing DB. Holdway doesn't expect a lot of playing time as a true freshman, "I'm hoping to get on the field," Holdway says, "But they have two really good safeties, so if I don't [get on the field], I'll learn a few things playing behind them." 

Braden Nolan

One of the most underrated players in Georgia last year might have been Etowah's Braden Nolan. The dual threat quarterback finished the 2010 season with 861 yards passing and 705 yards on the ground. However, even with those gaudy statistics, the offers didn't exactly come rolling in for the Eagles star.

As it turns out though, everyone else's loss might be Carson-Newman's gain as the Etowah signed there on Wednesday. Carson-Newman coaches recruited Nolan because they wanted a quarterback who can run, because of that, Nolan thinks he'll get some playing time his freshman year. "They need someone who can come in and run,' says Nolan, who had 10 touchdown runs to go with his 705 yards. "They have two quarterbacks who are spread quarterbacks and kind of iffy on running, so they're hoping I can come in there and make a difference."

D'Andre Jackson

After officially signing with Tusculum on Wednesday, former Etowah defensive end D'Andre Jackson was already talking about the 2011 football season. "I'm looking forward to possibly starting," the 235 pound end said after making his college decision official. "I'm a very competitive person, so I'm excited to see what the competition [for a starting spot] is going to be like up there."

If Jackson goes into camp this summer and plays anything like he did in 2010, there's a good chance he'll earn that starting spot.

During a stellar 2010 with the Eagles, Jackson led the team in tackles for losses with nine. He was also a disruptive force in opposing teams backfields as he recorded a team high 16 quarterback hurries.

If Jackson does earn the starting spot, he could find himself sacking someone familiar next season. Former Etowah teammate Braden Nolan is headed to Carson-Newman, a conference rival of Tusculum.

The 5-foot-11 end says the Tennessee school was exactly what he was looking for, "On my visit, they treated me like I was already a part of the team. The coaches were nice, the players were cool, it was exactly what I was looking for in a college."