By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – It was a festive morning Wednesday at Oak Grove High School as three Warrior seniors signed college scholarship offers to continue their football careers.
J.Q. Gray, Jaylen Aborom and Johnnie Evans fixed their names to National Letters of Intent on the first day of early signing for college football programs. Gray signed with Southern Miss, Aborom with Mississippi State and Evans chose Alcorn State.
“These are three guys who have been an integral part of our success the past three years,” said Oak Grove head coach Drew Causey. “They’ve won a state championship and made the playoffs all three years, so we’re real proud of them.”
It was Aborom, as a sophomore in 2020, who made the key play in that state championship victory over Oxford at Jackson, a pick-6 in the fourth quarter that turned the momentum in the Warriors’ favor.
“It was an exciting moment,” Aborom said of his game-changing play in Oak Grove’s 29-28 triumph for the school’s second state title. “Oxford had all the momentum, and I just knew I had to make a play.”
Aborom also made a critical interception this past season, a last-second pick in the end zone to preserve Oak Grove’s 25-20 victory over then-No. 1 Brandon.
A complete athlete at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Aborom was a three-year menace in the Warriors secondary the past three seasons.
As a sophomore, he was in on 61 tackles, including 41 solos, and had six interceptions. In 2021, he had 72 tackles (46 solo), four picks, two fumble recoveries and three defensive touchdowns.
He has also contributed on offense more the past two years. He had a team-high 45 receptions for 583 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior and finished this season with 37 catches for 477 yards and six scores.
“They’re recruiting him as a defensive back,” said Causey. “They’re going to be young back there (in 2023), so he may have an early opportunity to get on the field quick.
“Started when he was a sophomore, and it kept growing from there, playing on both sides of the ball his junior and senior year. Can’t say enough about him.”
Gray has been a big part of the Warriors’ offense the past two seasons. As a junior, he led Oak Grove with 114 carries for 848 yards – a 7.4-yard average – and scored 10 touchdowns, adding 40 receptions for 548 yards and another four TDs.
This past year, Gray had 90 runs for 417 yards and seven touchdowns and had 46 catches for 511 yards and two scores. He also had 180 yards on seven kickoff returns, one going for a touchdown.
He’s smallish at 5-9, 170, but Causey believes Golden Eagle head coach Will Hall will like what he sees from Gray when he gets on campus.
“Will’s getting a heck of an athlete,” said Causey. “He’s a guy you can put in the backfield or anywhere else on the field, and he’s special back there on kickoff returns. Lot of different areas you can use him that makes him tough to defend.”
Gray said the prospect of staying close to home, and playing in front of family and friends, was what appealed to him the most about USM.
“They made me feel like I was at home, made me feel like I was more than just a player,” said Gray. “It feels good, you know, Oak Grove Part 2. The highlight of my career has just been bonding with my teammates, making a family and a brotherhood.”
Evans was dressed in a purple suit representing the purple and gold of Alcorn State, and he was excited about heading to the Reservation to play for the Braves.
“I love the atmosphere; it’s amazing, the fan base,” Evans said of ASU. “With the coaches, it was like you’re a son and the team are like brothers. It’s a family thing.”
Evans, a linebacker listed at 6-foot, 198 pounds, finished 2022 with 91 tackles, including 65 solos and six for loss, two sacks, and he had an interception for a touchdown.
“Johnnie’s a heck of a linebacker,” said Causey. “He’s another versatile guy. we could play at inside linebacker, outside linebacker, move him around a lot.
“He’s also another guy that we could have plugged in back there at running back, if we had needed him to, but he was guy who was most valuable on the defensive side of the ball. He’s going to have a great career at Alcorn.”
During their time at Oak Grove, the program’s three latest signees have led the Warriors to a 33-6 record the past three seasons.
“All three of these guys are great players, they’ve been great leaders and they’ve done a lot for our program,” said Causey of his three latest signees. “We’re just really excited and happy for them.”
Causey said he expects several more Warrior seniors to sign scholarship offers on National Signing Day February 1.
Photos courtesy of Jesse Johnson
