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The LaGrange football team saw three seniors (Jaylen Birdsong, Jay Mitchell and Denorayon Reid) sign to play at the next level for National Signing Day on Wednesday. All three Grangers will be continuing their athletic careers in the Peach State.

Birdsong and Reid will be reunited in a slightly different shade of blue. The two seniors signed to play football at Point University starting in the fall

“It will be really good to have somebody I know there that I can always fall back on,” Birdsong said. 

Joining the Skyhawks allows the two to keep the journey going together, while also being able to stay close to home.

“They already have some Grangers on the team and my family will be able to come watch me play, so it is going to be a real family atmosphere,” Birdsong said. 

“Staying close to home and being there for my family was very important for me,” Reid said. “This felt like the perfect fit for me.” 

Reid has played just about every position for the Grangers. He broke onto the scene as a cornerback in his sophomore season, coming away with six interceptions. 

Reid would go on to play wide receiver, safety and even some quarterback during his time with the Grangers, but Point plans to use him at corner. As a senior, he finished with 19 tackles, a PBU and a forced fumble on defense and 18 receptions for 296 yards and four touchdowns on offense while also tossing two touchdowns.

“Whenever they needed me to play I was open to it. I just wanted to do whatever I could to help the team win,” Reid said. “[Point] recruited me to come play defense which is where I feel at home. I like hitting people.”

Birdsong will be joining Reid on the Point defense. A hulking presence in the defensive line, Birdsong has come a long way since being an extremely raw freshman.

“It was tough at first, but all the coaches made me feel like I belonged here,” he said.

The defensive lineman still has plenty of untapped potential too.

“I have no doubt that his best football is in front of him,” said LaGrange head coach Matt Napier.

While Mitchell will not be staying as close to home as the other two, he will not have to travel far as he heads to Georgia Military College in Miledgeville. 

“One of the coaches came over and talked to me and it took them a few months to make me an offer,” Mitchell said. “I was actually on a visit to a school in Kentucky when they called me and gave me an offer.”

“I feel like it is the right place to make me a better man and a better football player,” he added. 

Mitchell is a player that had to bide his time. Eventually that time came and Mitchell slotted in as a starting cornerback for the Grangers this season and has not looked back.

“I changed how I approached the game this year,” Mitchell said. “I realized I had to change something and I really lit a fire in myself.”

Mitchell finished his senior year with 30 tackles, five PBUs, two interceptions and a touchdown. 

The LaGrange football program had been turning a corner the last several years and really took it to the next level in 2024 as the team made its first appearance in the state semifinals since 2008. This senior class has helped lay the groundwork for future success and their impact will be felt long after they depart for college.

“Once a Granger,” Napier calls out.

“Always a Granger,” the seniors respond in unison during the signing ceremony on Wednesday.