Jeremy Evins, left, is pictured with his mother, Wandalla Campbell, center, and aunt Gail Norman during his signing ceremony Wednesday, April 20, 2022.

Jeremy Evins decided to go with the school that showed him love before anyone else.

Evins, a safety at Meridian High School, signed with Hinds Community College Wednesday afternoon to continue his football career, saying Hinds was the best fit for him both athletically and academically.

“They actually offered me at the Southern Miss spring game,” said Evins, referring to Meridian’s spring exhibition contest against Newton County in May of 2021 at Southern Miss. “Coach (Larry) Williams saw me in the game and hit me up on Twitter after the game and contacted me to tell me he wanted to offer me a scholarship. That was my first offer, so it was a dream come true. You don’t expect to get your first offer after a spring game.”

The signing brought Evins a feeling of relief and responsibility, as he can now turn his attention to preparing for life at Hinds.

“I can’t sit back and chill,” Evins said. “I have to keep working.”

Work is what got him to this point, as he made a pledge as a freshman at Meridian to use football as a means to further his education.

“It felt great to do what I told my mom four years ago that I would do: sign with a college to where she wouldn’t have to pay for anything,” Evins said. “I came in here in the ninth grade, and this was the ultimate goal.”

His mother, Wandalla Campbell, said Wednesday’s signing ceremony at Meridian was a special moment for her, too.

“I’m very proud of him, and I’m glad he’s accomplished one of the milestones he said he was going to accomplish,” Campbell said. “He always promised me and his father that he was going to make it and go and play in college.”

Campbell also said Evins’ never-quit attitude is a big reason he’s made it as far as he has in football up to this point.

“I think he got that between his dad and me,” Campbell said. “We’re both very outspoken, outgoing people. As a little boy coming up, Jeremy was always persistent. He never gave up, and he loved challenges. Even in school, he came from a Christian academy school, and the teachers had to challenge him because he was just that smart.”

Evins is also the son of Claude Evins.

WEST LAUDERDALE 

Garrett Combs decided if he was going to play college tennis, bringing two West Lauderdale teammates with him would be too good an opportunity to pass up.

Combs, along with Nathan Smith and Luke Mitchell, signed with Meridian Community College Wednesday morning to continue their tennis careers in a signing ceremony hosted in West Lauderdale’s gymnasium. They were joined by Jean Betancourt, who signed with MCC for soccer, Victoria Irby, who inked with East Mississippi Community College for softball, Parker Henry, who signed with EMCC for basketball, and Lane Moore, who will play college golf at East Central Community College.

“It’s nice to have someone there that I know who I’ll be able to work with and get better,” Combs said.

That wasn’t the only thing that attracted the three of them to MCC, as the tennis program at the school is top-notch thanks to retired hall of fame coach Wanda McPhail and current head coach TJ Carter.

“I really like their coach, and it’s a good program,” Combs said. “Both the guys and the girls are good. Not everyone gets to play at the next level, so this opportunity is really cool.”

Irby said visiting EMCC helped solidify her decision, and she’s eager to continue her softball career beyond Scooba.

“I loved the people, the teammates and the coaches,” Irby said. “The campus is big — I think they have a pool — and I like the food there. I know I can be even better (than I am now), and I’m hoping to go Division I.”

Moore said having the chance to play golf in college means everything to him, as he’s worked toward earning the opportunity ever since he began hitting golf balls. ECCC felt like the perfect place to do that, Moore said.

“I really like Coach (Clark), and it’s a nice campus,” Moore said. “I like their president (Brent Gregory), and they’re doing a lot of good things on campus and building new buildings.”

Betancourt said he has a lot of friends on the soccer team at MCC, and he also feels like the school will offer him a good academic foundation.

“The school is good for what I’m considering for a job, which is business,” Betancourt said. “Being able to keep playing soccer is a great thing for me. It’s exciting to go to the next level, and I have to thank God for that.”