Gadsden City's Jerrell Brasher signs with West Alabama, becomes programs' 101st signee
Gadsden City High school football has sent more than 101 players to the next level on scholarships, with Jerrell Brasher being the last one, for now.
The 101 players encompass any player who has went on to play in the NCAA Division I to III and other levels of collegiate football. They are highlighted by the Kirkpatricks, both to Alabama and plenty of other players who have played for the Crimson Tide and in-state Auburn.
Brasher signed with NCAA Division-II in-state program West Alabama on Wednesday during a ceremony at the school. Brasher had more than 120 tackles and 28 tackles for a loss in his senior season, while earning North-South All-Star game honors and Gadsden Times First-Team honors. Brasher chose West Alabama over about four other offers. Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., who signed with Alabama in the early signing period, was the 100th college signee. Kirkpatrick joined his father, Dre Kirkpatrick Sr. as major signees from the school.
What makes the feat more impressive, is that Gadsden City has only been a school for 17 years and got its recruiting going in 2008. For coach Ali Smith, a Gadsden native who played at Alabama State after high school, he knows that the opportunities that his players are getting go beyond the football field.
"Over 80% if not more (of former Titan football players) are going to graduating and finding life outside of athletics, but those opportunities come from here," Smith said. "Because of the communities and the places some of our people come from, these are opportunities, doors that if it were not for football probably wouldn't get opened because they getting to school and get it paid for, for free, coming out of college debt free. It's been awesome."
While Gadsden City has sent players to the NFL like the older Kirkpatrick, Jerrell Harris and currently Darnell Mooney with the Chicago Bears, Smith highlighted players who have gone on to start business or other activities outside of football. The tradition of sending kids to college on football scholarships look to continue with plenty of underclassmen like TJ Worthy and Zyan Gibson getting looked at by Power 5 programs.
Maxwell Donaldson covers high school sports and Jacksonville State athletics for the Gadsden Times. Find him on Twitter/X @_Max_Donaldson and contact him at MDonaldson@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Gadsden City's Jerrell Brasher becomes programs 101st signee
