Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Ethan Strang

LAGRANGE- Tuesday was signing day for the Troup County Tigers. The Tigers had five athletes sign the dotted line to attend college next season. Three of the signees are football players, one is a baseball player and the other signed as a dual-sport athlete (football and wrestling). 

The five signees are:

Brett Haynes- baseball- Coastal Alabama Community College

Kullum Irvin- football and wrestling- Huntington University

Naz Easter- football- Georgia State University

Tay Shells- football- Georgia Military College

Jake Lane- football- LaGrange College

This was head football and baseball coach Tanner Glisson’s seventh signing day for football, but this was the first year he’s had a baseball player sign at the next level. Brett Haynes will always be linked with Glisson as his first college baseball player. 

“I feel really good about it. It’s the same song, different verse,” Glisson said. “We tried to pattern what we had done with Troup football and move it into baseball.”

Glisson took the podium first and was absolutely buzzing like a kid on Christmas morning as he got to introduce his players.

The first player to take the podium was Jake Lane, who got choked up as he delivered his speech. The 2021 season was not the easiest for him as he had to change positions from tight end to offensive line.

“It was a little heartbreaking to be honest, but I knew I had to do it’,’ Lane said. “I had a choice, but I made the choice to do what was right.”

It was an emotional day for the coaches, athletes and parents. Tay Shells even shed a tear as he took the podium and talked about his time at Troup County coming to an end.

Naz Easter passed up on multiple full ride scholarships to be a preferred walk-on at Georgia State University. An instant connection was made after meeting with Georgia State Head Coach Shawn Elliott who was a preferred walk-on at Appalachian State. 

“I just felt like I could better myself and go there and show what I’m worth,” Easter said.

When speaking about what they would miss most about Troup County High School, all five athletes highlighted that the school felt like a family. 

“This Troup Tiger family is unlike any other family,” Kallum Irvin said. “They’re going to welcome you in with open arms and when you do something bad they’re going to let you know.”