Three Bulldogs Sign Division 1

It was a big couple of weeks for Toombs County High School's football players as three Bulldogs committed to play at the next level, all three at Division 1 schools. LaGonza Hayward will be taking his talents to the University of Tennessee to play in the SEC for the Volunteers, TJ Stanley will take his talents to Georgia State University to play for the Panthers in the Sun Belt Conference, and Mike Polke will be heading to play for the Bears of Mercer University in the Southern Conference.

Hayward is heading to the SEC to play defensive back for the Volunteers in Knoxville. Hayward is the #9 ranked safety in the nation in the upcoming class of 2025. He is a very physical defender. Hayward chose the Vols over offers from Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Florida State, Texas A& M, South Carolina, Missouri, and USC, among many others.

Stanley will be heading to Atlanta to play for the Panthers, and is looking to make an impact early as a quarterback for the team. continued from page

Stanley had offers from several teams as well, including Bucknell, Central Michigan, and Charleston Southern. The Panthers didn't have a football program until 2008, and quickly moved up to the FBS in 2013. Stanley hopes that he will be able to make a difference at the relatively new program.

Polke will be joining the Bears as a defensive back in Macon. Polke is another standout defensive back for the Bulldogs and will be taking those talents to the Southern Conference. Polk also had several offers, but chose to head to Mercer. Mercer restarted their football program in 2013 and have quickly moved up the rankings. They were ranked as high 11th in the national poll last season.

TJ Stanley is heading to Georgia State In Atlanta.

Mike Polke will be a Bear at Mercer University in Macon.