Four MCHS football players sign to play at next level

Morgan County football had four seniors sign letters of intent on National Signing Day to play at the next level.

Bulldog seniors Landen Vickers, Trevon Rhodes, and Talan Fuller all signed to continue their respective football careers at Georgia Military College (GMC) down the road in Milledgeville. Fellow senior Antavious Elder signed to play at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) in Birmingham, Alabama.

The signing ceremony was held at Morgan County football’s new fieldhouse last Wednesday. The four seniors signed in front of more than 100 people, which consisted of teammates, friends, coaches, and family.

“This is my third year here and previously, we may have signed three kids in three years. To be able to sign four kids in one year is exciting,” Morgan County head coach Clint Jenkins said.

Vickers, Rhodes, Fuller, and Elder all helped the program in different ways throughout the past four seasons. They each helped grow the program, which accomplished a lot since Jenkins took over three years ago.

Vickers played inside linebacker at Morgan County.

He had a productive senior season, with 124 tackles and 17 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker had seven forced fumbles and three sacks as well.

Jenkins thinks out of all the Bulldog seniors, the 2023 Region 4-AAA Defensive Player of the Year grew the most.

“Landen is probably improved the most out of any kid I’ve seen in a year,” Jenkins said. “Just changing things up in the weight room and buying into every phase of the program. Again, going from a guy who was a contributor (as a junior) to being the heartbeat of our defense as a senior.

"Landen is a cool story from where he started to where he is now. We have a picture of him in the weight room as a freshman and then as a senior that we’re going to show to our eighth-graders (this spring). It was a heck of a transformation for him.”

Rhodes played as a defensive back and was a First-Team All-Region 4-AAA selection as a senior for the Bulldogs.

Jenkins highlighted how Rhodes played with “a lot of heart” when he was on the field.

“Trey is a guy when you watch him play, he competes with so much heart,” Jenkins said. “He does a great job of not being in the wrong spot and helped in run support. But he can cover as a safety as well. Trey just had an unbelievable season. When you look at him, he’s (not very big) but he plays so hard and with that much heart.”

Fuller was the team’s starting quarterback as a sophomore but got injured in the season opener against Putnam County. He missed the rest of the year but returned strong as a junior and led the Bulldogs to the playoffs.

During his senior season, Fuller split time with sophomore Davis Strickland under center. However, he still managed to earn All-Region 4-AAA First-Team honors. He passed for 806 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior.

According to Jenkins, Fuller was a “true leader” throughout his career as a Bulldog.

“He did a great job of running our offense, especially after coming back from his injury as a sophomore,” Jenkins said. “Talan embraced the quarterback competition. I was proud of him for that. That’s what a man does in that kind of situation. He’s done a tremendous job for us. He has a great attitude and was one of our leaders.”

Elder was a two-player for the Bulldogs at defensive tackle and tight end, although he shined on defense.

Elder racked up 50 tackles, a team-high 15 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 23 quarterback pressures as a senior.

Jenkins explained how important the four-time All-Region 4-AAA First-Team selection was for the defense.

“He’s a big, nimble-footed guy that has all kinds of potential. He played well for us down the stretch,” Jenkin said. “He’s another guy who bought into what we were doing but just needed some pushes along the way.”

Jenkins enters his fourth year with the program next fall. The Bulldogs have gotten better every season of his tenure, and so he hopes that in the coming years, more of his players will sign to play at the collegiate level.

“It’s an expectation coming off a 10-win with the film and stats these kids put up,” Jenkins said. “These guys are very deserving to be able to continue their careers. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll have more players sign.”