By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

HOGANSVILLE – Once a Cavalier, always a Cavalier.

That’s the mindset Callaway head coach Pete Wiggins has, which is why he takes such joy in seeing his former players enjoy success after they leave the program.

Nearly 15 former Cavaliers are on a college roster right now, and many of them are either starting or making a key contribution.

The biggest cheerleader for those players is Wiggins, who along with his coaches makes finding a collegiate home for the players a major priority.

That means getting the most out of the players on the field, while also helping them succeed in the class room.

“Our coaches work hard at developing the kids on the field,” Wiggins said. “There’s also a great commitment off the field as far as in the classroom, and building relationships with different college coaches, and trying to find a fit to make them successful.”

This fall, Wiggins will be able to follow 13 former Cavaliers as they continue their respective college journeys.

That group includes Georgia wide receiver Terry Godwin, who showed a national audience how gifted he is when he made an extraordinary catch during Saturday’s win over Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech defensive lineman KeShun Freeman.

The list of former Cavaliers on a college roster goes on and on, and Wiggins is proud of each of them.

“It’s really special,” he said. “And it is says a lot about the work ethic of our kids number one, and our coaching staff and our community.”

Wiggins encourages those players to return to the school as often as they can, and former Cavaliers can regularly be seen at practices and games.

Some of those former Cavaliers even come back to coach at the school, including current defensive-line coach Jamal Bruce, who was a standout player at Duke.

Whatever his former players choose to do, Wiggins is happy as long as they’re productive and happy.

“That’s what it’s about,” Wiggins said. “You want them to play ball as long as they can, but you want them down the road to be successful in their careers, and stand up in front of people and lead. That’s what football is about.

“I think we’ve been fortunate to have a lot of those kids around here. That’s what coaching ball is all about.”

A year from now, the number of former Cavaliers on college rosters will likely be even greater.

Four current Cavaliers, Lichon Terrell, Courtney Williams, DJ Atkins and DQ Wilkerson, have already made a commitment to a college team, and a handful of their teammates are still exploring their options.

Among the former Cavaliers already in college are a pair of SEC players, Godwin and Ole Miss freshman wide receiver Braylon Sanders.

Godwin is a junior and has been one of the Bulldogs’ top offensive players since his arrival on campus, while Sanders is embarking on what many are expecting to be a big career at Ole Miss.

Freeman is a senior defensive lineman at Georgia Tech, and he has been a full-time starter since the third game of his freshman season.

Tez Parks is a red-shirt junior running back at Southern Miss, and he has been getting significant playing time since his freshman season 2014.

Brandon Sutton, a tight end, is a red-shirt junior at Kennesaw State.

Sutton signed with Kennesaw State as an offensive lineman before being moved to tight end.

Sophomore tight end Cortney Laye spent his freshman season at Clark Atlanta University before transferring to Morehead State.

Dre Martin, who had a big freshman season as a wide receiver, is back at Clark Atlanta for his sophomore season.

Brandon Boddie is a sophomore running back at Shorter University, JT Wortham is a sophomore linebacker at Georgia Military College, and Harley Tabor is a sophomore offensive lineman at Point University.

Sanders is one of five seniors from the memorable 2016 team playing college football.

That group also includes Michael Freeman, a freshman linebacker for Mercer, Jibrell Jackson, a fullback at East Tennessee State, Dominic Carter, an offensive lineman at Campbell University, and Dominic Copeland, a defensive back at the College of the Siskiyous.

Dylan Johnson, the quarterback of that 2016 team that went 13-1 and reached the state semifinals, is playing baseball at West Georgia.