Wednesday was National College Signing Day; the day when high school athletes from all different sports officially commit to the school of their choice.
Cedrick Collins, a senior at Dallas’ Skyline High School, has been looking forward to this day since he was in junior high school.
“It was a good experience for me,” said Collins.
While the day was a good experience, it was bittersweet as well.
Collins was once a standout cornerback. He signed a letter of intent to play for the Aggies before the start of his junior year.
“It just felt right,” said Collins.
Then, in Nov., 2012, doctors discovered a rare spinal cord abnormality that made it too dangerous for him to continue playing.
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“At first, he told me, ‘Dad, I can still play,’ but we had to listen to the doctor,” said Cedric Collins, Sr., Cedric’s father
It was devastating news for the teen and his family. Not only was it the end of a promising football career but it put his scholarship in jeopardy, too; or so they thought.
“I talked with Coach Sumlin, and they are a great group of people, and when they told me that they were going to honor his scholarship, I just felt like that was a blessing,” said Reginald Samples, head football coach at Skyline High School.
But Samples said the blessing was well deserved. Not only was Collins a talented athlete, but he is a good student, too. So while Collins will never make a play for the Aggies, he said he’s now excited to be a part of the 12th Man.
