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Recruiting Notebook: February Signing Day Roundup

Claudia Collins

The late signing period was full of action across the state as athletes made their college commitments official throughout the Valley. I dropped in on a few signing celebrations to chat with players about their commitments and accomplishments. My first stop of the day was at Chandler High School as they held their signing ceremony in the Chandler Center for the Arts. 

Chandler High School

Coach Rick Garretson spoke about each of the eight players before they each signed their National Letter of Intent. 

 

Two Wolves decided to continue their football career in the Big Sky Conference at the University of Northern Colorado. Defensive backs Franky Morales and Alfred Smith always planned to play football at the next level together. The duo originally planned to take their talents elsewhere but landed on UNC after the university pursued them both. 

 

Alfred Smith – DB – University of Northern Coloardo

“Me and Franky, it’s going to be fun for sure,” Smith laughed. “We were supposed to team up somewhere else but we teamed up here.”

Garretson described “Smitty” as a unique and physical football player despite his size.  

 “His physicality in film just comes across the board,” Garretson said. “He made big plays in big moments, was a solid figure on a really great defense the past two years.”

 

Franky Morales – DB – University of Northern Coloardo

Franky Morales announced his decision to commit to UNC on Feb 1., just one day ahead of signing day. 

“It’s really turning dreams into reality,” Morales said. “I’ve always thought of this moment as a young kid.”

Garretson nicknamed Morales “The Bandit” and described him as a big-time playmaker. Morales made it known as a sophomore that he would work for a starting spot on the roster and made his first appearance that season against Hamilton. 

“It’s hard to play as a sophomore at this place,” Garretson said. “He stayed with it, manned up, and started in the Hamilton game his sophomore year and it went from there.”

 

Devin Dunn – Safety – Air Force

“Today is really a culmination of all my hard work and efforts and being able to show it off,” Dunn said. 

Safety Devin Dunn chose to continue his career at Air Force where he’s excited about the opportunity to play football, further his career, and serve the country. His mom sat beside him as Devin signed his NLI and said she’s proud of everything he’s accomplished (especially his grades!).

“Devin Dunn is what we would call a diversified player,” said Garretson. “He can play the strong safety spot, he can be an edge-blitz guy, he can be a man cover guy, and when we talk about running the football he’s a guy that can definitely do that.”

 

Jacob Holmes – DL – Fresno State

Jacob Holmes transferred to Chandler ahead of the 2021 season from Cesar Chavez in order to get an opportunity to play his senior season. Despite missing five games due to transfer rules he still made a huge impact on the Wolves’ defense. 

“He became one of the most dominant players on the defensive line in the state of Arizona,” Garretson said. “He was a guy that could play inside, a guy that could play outside, and he’s got tremendous physical skill, and he’s built to succeed.”

Jacob was excited about making his college commitment official but he may be even more excited about the crab dinner he has planned to celebrate!

 

Hamilton High School

A handful of coaches and staff members took the time to acknowledge each player signing their NLI’s today. After Coach Zdebski gave a little praise to each player, the seven athletes got an opportunity to say a speech before making things official. 

 

Tre Tate – DB – Northern Arizona University

Tre Tate is staying pretty close to home as he heads a bit north to become a Lumberjack. Tate received his offer from NAU on Dec. 6 and made his official visit to Flagstaff on Jan. 17. He said coach Ball was truly the difference-maker in sealing his decision to further his career at NAU. Tre is excited to be close enough to home for his family to watch him play on Saturdays. 

Three Hamilton Huskies are headed to Ottawa University and made sat side-by-side as they signed their NLI’s. 

 

Jonathan Lozano -Tackle – Ottawa University

Jonathan transferred to Hamilton last year after moving from his small town in Colorado. Lozano was emotional in his speech as he shared that he never imagined that when his dad started coaching him in Pee-wee football that it would lead to this moment. 

 

Quentin Ross – Wide Receiver – Ottawa University 

Quentin said his senior year was pivotal to turning him into a better leader. Heading into his final season as a Husky, Quentin was focused on getting looks from universities and getting reps but he said his coaches helped him change his mindset to become a better example. 

 

Dawson Hubbard – Defensive Tackle – Butler University

Hubbard is taking his talents a little closer to home as he committed to Butler University. Dawson moved from Illinois to Chandler, AZ in 2020 and fully embraced the Husky mentality. 

Dawson thanked nearly a dozen people in his speech that helped him make Arizona his home.

“I’d like to thank my parents for giving me the opportunity to move across the country to a place that we didn’t really know about,” Hubbard said. “I also want to thank my Arizona parents who allowed me into their home, let me eat their food, and made me a part of their family.”

Camden Haggard – Safety – Northern State University 

Camden Haggard received his offer to Northern State University in June of 2021 but made his decision to go from Husky to Wolf on February signing day. 

“There’s no school I’d rather go to than Hamilton,” Haggard said. “The brotherhood is unmatched no matter whether you’re a freshman or a senior everybody supports each other.”

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