Signing Day: Four Wildcats college bound

VALDOSTA �" On Wednesday morning, Dontavis Sapp wore an orange tie and an orange, white and black hat with the letter T on it, and signed a football scholarship to the University of Tennessee.
Sapp, Valdosta High's strong safety, looks forward to becoming a Volunteer, and playing in front of over 100,000 fans at Tennessee's Neyland Stadium.
“Real excited,” Sapp said. “I don't know a high school player in the country that wouldn't want to play for the University of Tennessee. I mean, you really can't get any better (than that) in the country.”
“It's great to be a Vol,” he added.
It's been an eventful two weeks for Sapp. He had committed to East Carolina last fall, but then Pirates head coach Skip Holtz left for South Florida, the calls from ECU stopped and Sapp wasn't sure whether or not the team's scholarship offer still stood. Then he got a call from Derek Dooley, the new head coach at Tennessee, who needed a safety and was very interested in Sapp. Two days after receiving a highlight tape from Sapp, Dooley offered him a scholarship.
“It's been crazy these last couple weeks,” Sapp admitted. “I guess everything worked out for the better ... I'm just glad (the Tennessee scholarship) happened.”
Sapp visited Tennessee last weekend, enjoyed his visit and committed to the Volunteers on Sunday.
“My home visit with Coach Dooley went real good. I came up for my visit, and everything went exceptional, so I decided that's where I wanted to go,” Sapp said. “He said I'm the guy he wanted, so I guess he got what he wanted.”
Sapp looks forward to going to Knoxville, and playing strong safety for the Volunteers. Tennessee will be looking for a new strong safety, after losing All-American Eric Berry to the NFL draft.
Three other Wildcats also signed their letters of intent on Wednesday.
Right tackle Brandon Freeman signed with Benedict College, a Baptist college in Columbia, S.C. The 6-foot-1, 330-pound Freeman looks forward to wearing the purple-and-gold of the Tigers.
“I'm very excited,” Freeman said.
Freeman got his offer at the last minute. But when Benedict saw film of him, they knew they wanted him.
“I sent them a copy of my highlight tape. (Their coach) received it (last) Wednesday, and he called me on Thursday and offered me,” Freeman said.
Freeman emerged as an anchor of Valdosta's offensive line this year, earning first-team All-Region honors. According to Freeman, he led the Wildcats in pancake blocks. He will move inside to guard in college.
Benedict went 8-3 in 2009, and was ranked No. 9 in Super Regional 2.
Carson-Newman has long been one of the top football programs in Division II. Longtime Eagles head coach Ken Sparks is one of the most respected coaches in Division II, and two Valdosta Wildcats are looking forward to playing for him. Defensive end Marcus Davis and left tackle Jordan Jenkins signed with Carson-Newman on Wednesday.
“They have a great program. They have been winning for (many years),” Jenkins said.
“That's real exciting (to have a teammate going there with me). I'll have somebody up there that I know,” Davis said.
Carson-Newman made it to the Division II national semifinals last season.
Like Sapp, Davis had planned to sign with East Carolina. But then Carson-Newman called, and convinced him to become an Eagle instead.
“I'm real excited,” Davis said. “I saw them when they played VSU (in the 2008 playoffs). I was like, ‘They're a pretty good program.' I watched them on TV, when they played Grand Valley State and lost in the semifinals. They're a pretty good program to go to.”
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Davis was a big contributor for the Wildcats at defensive end the past two years. He will move to linebacker at Carson-Newman. He looks forward to playing in college.
Jenkins started at left tackle for the Wildcats in 2009. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Jenkins moved over from the defensive line his junior year, and was one of the anchors of the offensive line in 2009.
Jenkins will move from tackle to tight end at the next level. Carson-Newman runs the split-back veer, an option offense that requires its tight ends to be good blockers. He admits that catching the ball will be different, but he looks forward to playing college football.
“I'm so excited,” Jenkins said. “(I'm) just super stoked to go. I sent them my highlight tape like two weeks ago, and Monday, they were like, ‘We want you.' They have a great criminal justice program, and a great athletic program, so I jumped at it.”
Both Jenkins and Freeman played for the Georgia team in the Border Wars All-Star Game last month in Valdosta.
Valdosta High went 7-4 last season.
Rick Tomberlin, who coached the four signees at Valdosta, was unable to be there for Signing Day, due to commitments at his new school, Effingham County. But on Monday, he said he was happy for the four players.
“I'm real proud of all (four) of them,” Tomberlin said. “They're all good players.”
Rance Gillespie, who became Valdosta's head coach in December, was also happy for the players.
“It's a great day for a football program when (kids sign),” Gillespie said. “It really and truly is my favorite day of the year, from the program's standpoint.
“This is a tribute to the work that they put in, and the things that Coach Tomberlin did with the program prior to me getting here.”