Four Jackets head to college after Signing Day festivities

Football standouts Vinny Miller, Montez McGuire, Tyrell Hillary and DeVontez Rouse shared North Augusta High School's spotlight again Feb. 1, putting their names on the line to confirm their collegiate commitments.

Dan Pippin, the Yellow Jackets' head coach, said, "I think it says a lot, first, about the kids. I think it says a lot about their parents, and I think it says a lot about our program - just how far we've come, where we're signing four kids pretty much every year. We'll probably get a couple more as we go on."

Miller opted for The Citadel, looking to build on the momentum that he established as a successful running back during his senior year.

McGuire, a wide receiver, has hitched his wagon to Georgia Military College in Milledgeville. Making plans for North Greenville College are Hillary, a quarterback, and Rouse, who served the Jackets as a wide receiver and defensive back.

Pippin noted that North Augusta is on track in terms of helping produce "good kids" - not only successful players but also solid students who move on to make a positive impact in the community and beyond.

Those are big factors in measuring a football program's success, he said. "And we're winning, so that makes it even better."

He credited his assistant coaches with "a great job of developing talent."

Miller described himself as interested in studying engineering, and said he has come to appreciate the quality of a Citadel education and also the brotherhood that exists among Bulldog students and alumni. "You never really lose contact."

Miller, who was also the Jackets' punter, said he considered some other football programs, "but not really anything outstanding, like The Citadel."

Hillary, who said he plans to study civil engineering, said the location and environment at North Greenville are factors in its favor, along with the fact that the Crusaders have a new head coach. "I hit it off with him very well," he confirmed.

"I'm just ready to go ahead and get down there and get comfortable with the environment, the coaches, the players, the students, teachers and just ... ready to start playing football," Hillary added.

Rouse, confirming that he looks forward to heading off to college with a fellow Yellow Jacket, said he expects to play as a safety and - like Hillary - to focus on civil engineering in the classroom.

He added, "I'll put in a lot more work this summer, with collegiate players, to help me prepare for the next level, so it shouldn't be too unfamiliar when I get there."

McGuire is looking to continue service as a wide receiver, he said, as he joins former teammate Jaylon Myers at GMC.

"For me, it's different, since I'm going to a junior college." McGuire said. "I've got time to develop and pick up my academics, so after I go from there, then I'll just be trying to get into business, computer science, or something like that."

McGuire's connection with the Bulldogs was strengthened by having a former teammate there, he said, "and I had a couple of other choices, but I just wanted to pick my academics up a little bit more, so I can see what else is out there."

The Jackets went 12-2 in 2011, reaching the semifinals in Class AAAA, Division II for the second year in a row, and the program has racked up 42 wins over the past four seasons.

Among those offering congratulations Wednesday was local real-estate agent Bob Bolton, who handles sideline reporting for radio broadcasts of the Jackets' football games.

Referring to the Signing Day gathering, he said, "It showed the hard work they've put in during the season and the good, hard effort in the classroom, to be able to get the scholarships. They don't normally give scholarships to people that don't do well in school."

"We've come pretty far in the past four years," Miller said, "and I think, as a program, we've gotten way better, and we've gotten the opportunity to send more people to the next level."