Athletes commit in ink, make college plans permanent

February 6, 2013

By John Loop
Sports Writer

The dotted line was signed 12 times this morning at Coppell High School as 12 CHS varsity athletes made their college commitments official.

Of the 12, two-thirds were football players. The two biggest signings of the day were D-I commits Cameron Smith (Arizona State) and Willam Udeh (New Mexico).

Smith caught 59 passes for 1,071 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior in helping the Cowboys advance to the second round of the playoffs.

Udeh finished his career in Cowboy uniform with 192 total tackles (106 solo, 86 assist), including 30 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks.

After signing the letter of intent sent straight from the Sun Devils’ athletic department, Smith felt ready to step on campus in sunny Tempe, Arizona.

“It is a blessing, to be honest,” Smith said. “I am just trying to picture myself there and I really believe that it is a great fit for me. The coaches believe in me, here and there; I am just ready to get to work and do my thing.”

The recruiting haul is the Cowboys’ biggest in a while, and head football coach Joe McBride was happy to see these guys get to continue their careers at the next level.

“They are all very good players,” McBride said. “Those schools are excited about having them and see a significant future for them.”

Smith fractured his pelvic bone last season, forcing the then-junior to miss all but five football games. McBride was anxious to see if Smith could hold up this season, but the senior exceeded McBride’s expectations with a spectacular final season.

“I knew he had the ability,” McBride said. “I just did not know if his injury was going to hold off enough. He has always had a ton of ability. It was just a matter of him having a year where he stayed healthy.”

With the biggest class of seniors yet, the anticipation of the Class of 2014, which includes top-tier defensive end Solomon Thomas and running back Gavin McDaniel, McBride knows the future is bright for Coppell football.

“It is exciting,” McBride said. “We would love to have that kind of representation every year. It also feeds the fire inside of these younger guys, you know, ‘I wanna work hard and I will be at that table next year’.”

Cowgirl soccer players Paige Jacobs (Oklahoma), Katie Frank (Southwestern University) and Kayla Peterson (Arkansas) all signed letters of intent in the wake of an undefeated preseason and District 5-5A matches beginning on Friday against Hebron.

Brantley Young, who signed with Dallas Baptist University, led the Coppell Boys Cross Country team this season, and is now jumping headlong into track season.

Here is a quick list of which schools these athletes signed with:

Luis Carreno, football, defensive lineman-Sam Houston State

Omari Cole, football, defensive back-University of Central Oklahoma

Katie Frank, soccer, midfielder-Southwestern University (Kansas)

Paige Jacobs, soccer, midfielder-University of Oklahoma

Leighton Light, football, offensive lineman-University of Central Oklahoma

Tanner Masters, football, outside linebacker-East Central University (Okla,)

Colby Mahon, football, quarterback-University of Southern Arkansas

Cole Odette, football, defensive lineman-Texas A&M University-Commerce

Kayla Peterson, soccer, defender-University of Arkansas

Josh Self, football, tight end-Air Force Academy

Cameron Smith, football, wide receiver-Arizona State University