The football careers of four senior athletes took an extraordinary leap on February 1, National Signing Day. That’s the day Brandon Watkins, Cedric Hill, Ron Thompson and Leviticus Payne signed full-ride scholarships to play football next year.
The four will play college football in exchange for a free education. Thompson signed to play Division 1 football for Syracuse University; Payne signed to play Division 1 football for the University of Cincinnati and both Watkins and Hill signed to play Division 2 ball for Notre Dame College of Ohio.
The athletes weren’t the only ones wearing wide smiles on Signing Day. Their parents were, too. Stephanie Hill, Cedric Hill’s mother, said, “It helps me greatly” that her son has a full scholarship. “He doesn’t have the burden of a loan.”
“It’s a blessing,” said Lisa Watkins, mother of Brandon Watkins. “This is one of the biggest opportunities he’ll ever get.” But Watkins said she expects more than football fame from her son. She says he needs “to go and do the best he can these next four years and get himself a degree.
Watkins and Hill will be able to remain teammates in college and will join 2011 Southfield High graduate Carthel Garth, who already plays as a Notre Dame Falcon. Both Watkins and Hill had other scholarship offers but said that Notre Dame was the best choice for them. Both turned down offers from Grand Valley State University.
Counselor Tom Holliday congratulated the four in the school library as they signed their letters of intent but warned them, “The game is not over.” He told them they still needed to finish the school year with strong grades.
Athletic Director Tim Conley said that the four were extremely talented and that their signing scholarships came as no surprise. He also commended senior quarterback Justin Danzy on waiting to decide which scholarship offer to accept. “It’s glamorous” to sign on Signing Day, Conley said. But it is sometimes wise to wait and make a careful decision, he said.
Payne said he hopes to study physical therapy in college. Thompson said he is interested in architecture. Watkins and Hill both said they want to go into business management.Cross-town rival Southfield-Lathrup also had a senior sign a letter of intent on National Signing Day. Jamal Lyles signed to play Division 1 football for Michigan State University.
HOW MUCH DOES COLLEGE COST?*
- Syracuse University: $53,790 per year
- Notre Dame of Ohio: $32,706 per year
- University of Cincinnati: $25,698 in-state per year; $40,221 out-of-state per year
* Sources: college web sites. Figures are for one year of tuition, room and board, according to 2011-2012 published costs