When James Eddings was 4-years old and started playing football in Myrtle Grove he knew it was a game he loved and something he wanted to continue playing.
The Jay High School senior will see that dream continue next fall after signing a scholarship with Warner College, a Christian college in Lake Wells, Fla., near Lakeland.
Eddings said he fell in love with Warner College the first time he went down there, especially the multiple lakes in the area that will allow him to continue his second love, fishing.
Jay head football coach Melvin Kersey said the recruitment of Eddings by Warner began in the summer when Coach D.J. Croley came to Jay and asked Kersey if he had any players. Kersey said the coach was looking for a 'hard running back'.
“I told him I had one,” Kersey said in talking about Eddings.
Eddings said when he first visited Warner College he not only fell in love with the school but the nearly 1,000 lakes in the area, including a big lake right across the street from the campus.
“I asked the coach if I could bring my boat and he said I could park it at his house,” Eddings said. “I'm a big fisherman. I'd rather fish than hunt.”
Eddings said another thing that attracted him was the fact that Warner College is called the Royals and has a Lion as its mascot. He also said he wants to become a marine technician and work on boats and Warner has a program especially for that field.
“Although it's down in south Florida, it's a lot like right here,” Eddings said. “It's about 40 miles from the beach.”
Another key for the Division II school to offer Eddings a scholarship was not only his athletic ability but his character.
“When he talked to Coach Kersey he learned I was dating Kersey's daughter,” Eddings said. “He figured I had to be a good guy.”
After the original visit in the summer, Coach Croley made other visits and Coach Kersey sent him a lot of film.
As a junior, Eddings rushed for 1,730 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also had five receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns in a season that earned him a spot as a second team All-State running back.
This past season Eddings rushed 237 times for 1,279 yards and scored 19 touchdowns.
“It's great to have a player who had the desire to go off and play college football,” Kersey said. “He had this dream since he played Pee Wee football. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to make something like this happen.”
“He's one of the hardest working and dedicated players I've ever worked with,” Kersey added.
Kersey said when he became head football coach at Jay he wanted to start a power running offense and Eddings filled the slot.
Eddings signed his scholarship papers last Wednesday to become the first person in his family to sign an athletic scholarship. Kersey said Edding's hand was shaking so much out of excitement he didn't know if he would be able to sign on the dotted line.
“I'm proud of the boy,” Kersey said. “I told their coach they won't have anybody on that team that will work as hard as James.”
Eddings said he hasn't received his marching orders as to when he has to report to Warner College, but he'll spend the time in between working out and, of course, fishing.
