Transfers give Blackman a boost entering spring football practice

Spring practice hasn't even arrived, much less the start of the 2017 high school football season.

But lately it has seemed like Christmas at Blackman High School.

With spring football practice two weeks away, the Blaze will not only be stocked with arguably the top returning lineup in the area, but two significant transfers will give Coach David Watson's squad even more firepower.

Former Davidson Academy quarterback Stone Norton, an incoming junior, enrolled at Blackman Monday. Former Franklin Road Academy standout Adonis Otey, an incoming junior, has been at the school since early January.

"It will be interesting to see what we can do," said Watson, whose squad went 9-4 and reached the Class 6A state quarterfinals a season ago. "You never can tell until you hit the field."

Blackman already returns one of the top running back prospects in the state in incoming senior Master Teague and one of the top wide receiver targets as well in incoming junior Trey Knox.

The Blaze also return last year's starting quarterback, Connor Mitchell. Mitchell enjoyed success as a wide receiver for the Blaze in 2015, catching 11 passes for 150 yards before an injury.

"It gives us more possibilities," said Watson. "You have to get them on the field and let all of that be decided."

As a sophomore last season Norton was 169 of 268 for 2,637 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was ranked No. 10 in passing yards among Nashville-area quarterbacks. He was the top passer among Nashville-area Division II-A teams.

"(Norton) has different skill sets than what we had," Watson said. "We know he was an all-state player among (DII-A) schools. He's a classic drop-back passer."

The 6-foot-2, 160-pound Norton is also a basketball player, starting for Davidson Academy this past season.

Otey is familiar to Blaze fans. He was seen as one of Blackman's top prospects before transferring to FRA, where he started as a sophomore this past season.

The 6-1, 168-pounder is expected to step in and make an impact as both a wide receiver and defensive back. Listed as an athlete on 247Sports, Otey already has offers from Tennessee, Florida, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, LSU, Memphis and Louisville, among others.

"We were certainly seeing potential that he would have started for us as a sophomore," Watson said of Otey, who made four tackles in limited time on the Blaze varsity as a freshman.

"We're very lucky to get transfers of that magnitude," Watson said. "It creates more competition and makes you better."

Both players moved the necessary distance from their previous schools in order to be eligible for the upcoming season. Blackman begins spring practice on April 24.

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.