'A major blessing': Mandarin trio leads off Jacksonville early football signing period

Seated inside Mandarin High School's gymnasium, listening to head coach Toby Bullock introduce his players, reality set in for Mustangs senior lineman Deryc Plazz.

He's going to play college football. He's going to be a Miami Hurricane. Officially.

"We were sitting here and he started talking about us," Plazz said. "We're all whispering to each other, it's crazy, like we're all going on to play big-time college football. That's a major blessing."

Plazz and defensive back teammates A.J. Belgrave-Shorter and Jon Mitchell led off Wednesday's early signing period, capping one of the most distinguished high school football classes in Mandarin history.

"It actually hit me today, really hit me," said Belgrave-Shorter, committed to Penn State since the spring. "I got a little emotional."

Belgrave-Shorter and Mitchell will be college teammates with the Nittany Lions. Plazz, who transferred from Jackson to Mandarin and brought what Bullock called "maybe the greatest personality we've ever seen," is heading southward to Miami.

The Mustang trio, which led Mandarin to the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4M final earlier this month in Tallahassee, put pen to paper and cemented their college plans while surrounded by friends and family.

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In Mitchell's case, that included a pair of major-conference older brothers: Kris, a wide receiver now at Notre Dame after transferring from Florida International, and Nic, an edge rusher at Mississippi State.

The three-day early signing period continues through Friday, while athletes can also sign during the traditional National Signing Day on the first Wednesday in February.

"I've worked a long time to get here, and it's been amazing to celebrate with all my family," Plazz said.

TRINITY CHRISTIAN: 'CARRYING ON OUR DREAM'

Fewer than 48 hours earlier, Colin Hurley spent his evening dodging top prospects from around the nation at the U.S. Army Bowl in Texas.

Back in Jacksonville on Wednesday morning, with a pen to his right and the Ken Hall Most Valuable Player trophy from the national all-star showcase to his left, the Trinity Christian quarterback concluded his championship high school career by signing with LSU.

After a marathon recruitment that began to build buzz even before Hurley became Trinity's starter in 2021, he's now bound for the bayou as part of a Conquerors early signing class alongside receiver/safety Kyle Boylston (Florida Atlantic), receiver Miles Burris (Charlotte) and long snapper Braden Forscutt (North Alabama).

Hurley's MVP performance in the U.S. Army Bowl Monday night, capped with a highlight-reel touchdown strike in the fourth quarter at the Dallas Cowboys' practice site, placed an exclamation point on a Conquerors career that included two FHSAA titles (one as backup QB, one as starter), 5,984 yards and 67 touchdown passes.

"It meant a lot, being able to go out there and create opportunities, not just for myself but the guys around me, and being able to make connections with guys I might see down the line," he said.

Hurley, who reclassified to the 2024 class a year ago, remained firmly committed to LSU throughout as he prepared to enter the college ranks alongside his Trinity teammates.

"It feels great, being able to have the opportunity to go to the next level for my athletic career, and it feels great to be able to be able to celebrate with these guys, not only myself," Hurley said.

For Boylston, a two-sport athlete who batted .390 on the baseball diamond and plans to pursue both football and baseball once he arrives in Boca Raton in 2024, signing day marked a sense of mission accomplished for him and his family.

"I'm just carrying on our dream, you know," he said. "I'm just so excited I've got this opportunity."

Jacksonville-area early signings

ATLANTIC COAST: LB Camden Hardy, Wake Forest; TE Carter Ladd, Harvard.

BALDWIN: DE Mason Carter, Vanderbilt.

BARTRAM TRAIL: QB Riley Trujillo, UCF.

BEACHSIDE: WR Bryce Gee, Appalachian St.

BISHOP KENNY: OL Ethan Proffitt, Florida Atlantic; QB James Resar, Iowa.

BRADFORD: LB Chason Clark, Marshall.

BRUNSWICK: LB Devin Smith, Kentucky.

CAMDEN COUNTY: DE Denigel Cooper, Appalachian St.

COLUMBIA: DB Jerome Carter III, Old Dominion; WR Camdon Frier, Florida St.

FIRST COAST: WR Jordan Anderson, ETSU; QB Rodney Tisdale Jr., W. Kentucky.

FLEMING ISLAND: OL Braden Cunningham, Florida Atlantic.

FLETCHER: CB Kai Reyes, Mercer; QB Marcelis Tate, USF.

MANDARIN: CB A.J. Belgrave-Shorter, Penn State; CB Jon Mitchell, Penn State; OL Deryc Plazz, Miami.

PONTE VEDRA: LB Maddux Babin, Western Michigan; OL Jake Guarnera, Michigan.

SANDALWOOD: LB C.J. Allen, Georgia Southern.

ST. AUGUSTINE: RB Devonte Lyons, Florida International.

TRINITY CHRISTIAN: ATH Kyle Boylston, Florida Atlantic; WR Miles Burris, Charlotte; LS Braden Forscutt, North Alabama; QB Colin Hurley, LSU.

UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN: ATH Dahkari Gilley, Rutgers.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Early signing period: Jacksonville athletes seal college football plan