Local pair among ESPN’s top 300

ESPN released its top 300 recruits for the 2018 college football signing class on Thursday, and rural West Tennessee was represented on the list.

Two players from the area were mentioned as North Side defensive lineman Greg Emerson was the No. 66 player on the list and McKenzie tight end Donovan Foley was No. 271.

Emerson is a 6-feet-2-inch, 275-pound defensive end.

Emerson has emerged on the recruiting seen in the past three months after visiting campus at Michigan State. Since then he’s gotten offers from schools like Tennessee, Texas A&M, LSU and Alabama.

Emerson wasn’t even aware he was on the list until Thursday night.

“I just found out [about 9:30 p.m.],” Emerson said. “I’m very honored and thank God for the opportunities He’s given me.”

Foley is still emerging on the recruiting circuits. He plays tight end for the Rebels and is 6-fett-2-inches and 220 pounds. He runs a 4.8 40-yard dash. He doesn’t have offers yet, but he said he’s had interested from the University of South Alabama and Alabama.

“They’ve talked to me about playing H-back,” Foley said. “So it’s kind of a hybrid position from tight end and fullback.

“I could block in the backfield or run a route from the backfield or next to the line depending on the formation we line up in.”

Foley’s grandfather is a scout for the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League, and he said his grandfather called him last year letting him know colleges were wanting to watch his film and get looks at him.

Since then he’s visited Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Mississippi State for unofficial visits on game day last fall, when he was still a high school sophomore.

“That was a pretty cool experience to hang out with the recruiters and other people there on campus at all of those places,” Foley said.

The naming of the pair on the list is the second year in a row for a local athlete to be named to the list. University School of Jackson offensive lineman Trey Smith was No. 3 on the juniors list last year before being the top-ranked player on the seniors list this year for 2017.

Brandon Shields, 425-9751