Meridian High School head football coach Larry Weems looked at a table full of Wildcats signing letters-of-intent Wednesday and remarked: “I hate to see them take off that blue and white.”

And with good reason.

The eight Wildcats who inked on National Signing Day to continue their careers accounted for 332 points and 314 tackles for the MHSAA Class 5A state champions.

“It’s really going to hit me in a few months when I look for these guys that I’ve counted on in the past and they’re not there,” Weems said.

“At the same time, I’m very proud of all these guys … it’s a great day and it’s a special day for every one of them. It’s going to be hard to replace what’s in this room.”

The eight Cats who signed Wednesday included a trio headed to Division I schools: Quarterback Tyler Russell and wide receiver Chris Smith to Mississippi State and defensive back Khairi Usher to Louisiana-Monroe.

The other five — linebacker Michael Pack, defensive back Kevin Roberts, running back Quardarel Martin, linebacker Keith Austin, Jr., and wide receiver Marcus McQuarley — were all landed by East Mississippi Community College.

Each also had integral parts in “the only Meridian team to win 14 games in a season” Weems reminded the crowd of approximately 75 who gathered in the MHS library for the ceremony.

“It is a special group and it was a special year,” MHS athletic director Jermaine Brown said. “We appreciate their hard work and their sacrifices.”

Russell is considered by many to be the gem of MSU’s class after being named a Parade All-American and Mississippi’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

He committed to the Bulldogs early, then re-affirmed that commitment after MSU made a coaching change and brought Dan Mullen on board.

Russell’s mind-boggling statistics included 212-of-323 passing for 3,332 yards and 40 touchdowns with just five interceptions — and he missed the equivalent of nearly four games while sitting out during blowout victories.

But it was his leadership which stood out to Mullen Wednesday.

“Throwing and running is probably the least important thing when you recruit a quarterback,” Mullen said. “Because you are looking for mental toughness and sound decision-making.

“With Tyler winning the state championship, I think that showed Tyler had those skills. I did a lot of research talking to players, not just on his team but at the (Mississippi/Alabama All-Star game) … asking them if he was a leader and they all said yes.”

Mullen, who helped lead Florida to the national championship, said a phone call he received from Russell two nights prior to the BCS title game solidified what he already thought about the MHS signal-caller.

“I knew then we got our guy at quarterback,” Mullen said. “And we are excited to have him come in with this very talented class.”

Smith and McQuarley were two of Russell’s all-state sidekicks and two of the biggest threats in a deep Meridian receiving corps.

Smith, who also committed early to MSU, caught a team-high 70 passes for 1,079 yards and 10 touchdowns. McQuarley, meanwhile, caught 46 passes for 988 yards and 20 TDs.

Usher was one of six Mississippi signees snapped up by UL-Monroe’s Warhawks — who also signed Greenville-Weston’s Cordario Calvin, Water Valley’s Antonio Hoskins, Forest Hill’s Emmanuel Jefferies and the Petal duo of Tavarese Maye and Isaiah Newsome.

A hard-hitting safety who also returned kicks and punts during his MHS career, Usher was a Mississippi/Alabama all-star selection who recorded 88 tackles and four interceptions.

Pack led the team with 142 total tackles, and he also had a pair of interceptions, two forced fumbles and a team-best five pass deflections.

Martin was Meridian’s leading rusher, rolling up 893 yards and 14 touchdowns despite missing nearly five total games between injuries and blowout wins.

Roberts also battled through an injury but came back to record 66 tackles, including seven for a loss; while Austin piled up 104 tackles which also included seven stops for a loss. He, too, had a pair of interceptions.

MHS officials said wide receivers/defensive backs Hamp Glover and J.J. Harbin lead a group of players who are undecided but expect to sign to continue their careers somewhere.

Wednesday was the first day of an NCAA signing period which lasts until April 1.