BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Bradford High School seniors Jacob Ferguson and Jeremiah McKenzie are the latest Tornadoes who’ll have football opportunities at the Division-I level, with Ferguson signing a letter of intent to play for Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and McKenzie signing to play for Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.
The players participated in a signing ceremony in the BHS auditorium on the first day of early signing (Dec. 4).
“It’s very exciting,” said Ferguson, a 6-4, 285-pound offensive lineman. “I’ve been working hard for it. It feels like everything paid off.”
McKenzie, a 6-2, 195-pound linebacker, said, “I’ve always wanted to (sign to play college ball) as a kid. This is great to finally have the opportunity.”
Bradford’s soon-to-be-graduating class and its last four graduating classes have now had 26 players (including one preferred walk-on) earn college opportunities, with 14 of those coming at the Division-I level.
During Jamie Rodgers’ three years as head coach, 14 have received college opportunities. Ferguson and McKenzie are the ninth and 10th players under Rodgers who are going to Division-I schools.
Rodgers said more players from this year’s class will eventually have signing ceremonies.
“It’s really simple. Teams that are good usually have guys sitting on a stage at the end of the year. That’s not a coincidence,” said Rodgers, whose teams have a combined three-year record of 35-5.
Ferguson said, “If you’re starting on a team like we had, then you’ve got a chance (to play in college).”
Rodgers said Ferguson put in the work to start for Bradford and give himself an opportunity at the next level.
“He turned himself into the biggest he could be and the strongest he could be by what he did in the weight room and on his off time,” Rodgers said. “He didn’t mind going out there and running extra. He didn’t mind lifting extra. He never minded any of that stuff.
“That’s really what did it for him. That’s the reason he got the opportunity, because of his self-motivation and his drive.”
Ferguson said Old Dominion was the only school he considered late in the recruiting process.
“I like the culture. It’s a cool place, and I like the coaches,” Ferguson said, adding, “Everything there is really nice.”
Bradford rushed for an average of more than 200 yards in each of the past two seasons. Ferguson was a big part of that.
“I’d say my strong suit is probably the run game — down blocking and stuff like that,” Ferguson said. “I can definitely improve in the pass game and improve my balance and maybe my flexibility a little bit.”
Rodgers agreed that Ferguson needs to work on pass protection, but he said the lineman will be a good fit at Old Dominion, which employs a run-zone scheme.
Whether his team is running the ball or throwing it, one thing you can count on, according to Rodgers, is that Ferguson will play to the whistle and be aggressive in doing so.
“He likes the violence that is football,” Rodgers said. “A lot of people don’t like that, but he does. It makes a lot of people get out of football, but he enjoys it.”
Whatever strides Ferguson makes on the field will be complemented by being part of a college’s strength and nutrition programs. Rodgers said Ferguson will go from moving well from side to side at 285 pounds to doing the same at 305 pounds.
“He’s not monitoring what he eats every day right now as far as nutrition goes. No high-school kid does,” Rodgers said, adding, “When he goes off to a Division-I program, he’s going to eat 7,000, 8,000 calories a day. His nutrition is going to be super high. His level of lifting is going to be super high.
“He doesn’t have to be self-motivated anymore. Even though he will be, they’re going to motivate him.”
Another highly motivated individual is McKenzie. If you want proof, simply look at what he has done at BHS. Rodgers referenced the scene in the movie “Friday Night Lights” in which L.V. Miles is talking about everything his nephew Boobie Miles can do on the field.
“He’s describing Jeremiah and what he was for us — a Swiss Army Knife,” Rodgers said. “He can play safety. He can play linebacker. He could walk up at defensive end and rush the passer if we needed him to.
“Running back. Quarterback. He blocked punts for touchdowns. He averaged 35-plus yards over two years punting and had never punted a ball before (that).
“His athleticism is super impressive.”
That athleticism helped him receive at least 10 offers from colleges, but in the end, McKenzie said he had only one choice to make.
“Central Michigan just showed me the most attention since we started talking.”
McKenzie is going to Central Michigan as a linebacker, which is where the majority of his playing time has been the last two seasons. He was Bradford’s leading tackler this past year.
Though he said he does enjoy running the ball on offense, Mc Kenzie said he likes playing defense better.
Rodgers said McKenzie will be good wherever he plays, but he envisions him as a Star linebacker in a 4-2-5 scheme or an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.
“He can come up and make open-field tackles because of his athleticism, but then, he can cover backs out of the backfield on swing passes,” Rodgers said. “He can cover the flats. He doesn’t have a problem backpedaling. He changes direction so fast.
“Just everything that you look for in a defensive athlete that can be one of those hybrid linebacker-safety type guys. That’s what he is.”
When asked what he needs to improve in to transition to the next level, McKenzie said, “Definitely get stronger, faster, bigger — pretty much all of those aspects it takes to play at the next level.”
Rodgers said McKenzie needs to all of those things that all the “talented guys” have to do when going to college.
“He’s got to get bigger, he’s got to get stronger and he’s got to get faster to compete and go where he wants to go,” Rodgers said. “He wants to be the best.”
McKenzie and Ferguson both enjoyed being able to share the spotlight during the Dec. 4 signing ceremony. In fact, it was important for Ferguson to sign alongside at least one of his teammates.
“If (McKenzie) wasn’t going to sign today, I would’ve waited,” Ferguson said.
Their days of suiting up for the Tornadoes are over. Next, they’ll don the uniforms of their respective college teams.
Ferguson said it’ll be a new experience when he steps onto the field as an Old Dominion Monarch, but also a continuation of what he’s been doing at BHS.
“I think it’ll feel very different,” he said, “but you’ve still got to go out and do the same exact thing — go out and execute.”
McKenzie is ready to become a Central Michigan Chippewa.
“I’m going to love it,” he said. “I can’t wait.”
