Osceola, St. Cloud, Harmony players on to college athletics
While the early college signing period in December was quiet across Osceola County, eight athletes across three schools signed with programs on Wednesday’s traditional National Signing Day.
Football players Alex Springs of St. Cloud and Jeffery Banks of Osceola signed with FCS school Duquesne and Division II Ferris State, respectively.
And, six baseball and softball players inked scholarships at a ceremony at Harmony High.
It was early in the second practice of the 2023 season, when quarterback Logan King came over and nudged head coach Mike Short in the side. Pointing across the field at new wide receiver Alex Springs, King told Short “Coach, I think you found yourself a football player over there.”
Springs signed a grant-in-aid to play football for Division-II power the Ferris State (Mich.) University Bulldogs, who won the D-II national championship, 49-14 over Valdosta State last month.
“I want to get there and work hard and see if I can get on the field in my first year and help my team.” He says.
Springs, who played both ways his senior season, earned All-Orange Belt Conference honors as both a wide receiver and defensive back; while being named the Osceola News Gazette’s Two-Way Player of the Year. Ferris State has already projected him to a defensive back.
“When I spoke to their coaches, they told me they felt Alex could be a lock-down corner and those are really hard to find at the college level,” Short said. “And I strongly believe he could be. He came into his senior year with no experience on defense and basically shut down the opponent’s best receiver each week.”
Although several colleges started to recruit Springs as his senior year wore on, felt Ferris State was his best option.
“Great school and I really liked their coaching staff. They were real upfront and honest about where they projected me to play and the school and program just felt like home to me.”
Although happy for Springs, Short believes the Division-1 schools – especially the ones in Florida – missed the boat on him.
“Not sure how any D-1 coach or scout could see him play in person or on tape and conclude that he could not help them. Alex is a special player and will prove that at the next level.”
Short said that although he is an excellent athlete, Springs’ best attributes on not on the field.
“Alex is a great student and leader,” Short said. “He’s extremely coachable, he’s humble and he only does things the right way. His main concern is always what do I need to do today to get better?”
Even though he is anxious to start his college career, Springs has some unfinished business on the basketball court, where the Bulldogs have a school record 23 win this year heading into Friday night’s district championship game against Harmony.
In his two years, he has averaged close to 15 points a game and basketball coach Tommy Billiteri says that if had not committed to playing football, he could have played basketball at the next level.
“He such a leader and is so smart in his decision-making on the court,” Billiteri said. “I joked with him that after football season he should go talk to the Ferris basketball coaches because I think he could help them too.”
“I love football and after my junior year, I just decided that is what I should pursue in college,” Springs said.
Where Springs’ new team won a national championship, Banks’ “old” team played for a state title. Off a very full season — the Kowboys played 15 games including the Class 6A title game against West Boca Raton — he’s headed to a Duquesne Dukes program that was 8-3 last year and co-champions of the Northeast Conference with Central Connecticut.
Banks, an OHS cornerback who projects as a safety and special teams player early in his college career, recorded 83 tackles, second on OHS in 2024, with two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
He said chose the Pittsburgh, Pa. school over Florida schools Bethune-Cookman and St. Thomas
Banks said the school and the coaching staff made it “Feel like home.”
“I’m looking forward to getting there, working to get bigger and work on my technique,” he said. “It was a blessing to be a Kowboy for four years, and going to states this year was great opportunity to learn from for the next level.
A number of Osceola coaches attended Wednesday’s signing, making it an exciting day for the Kowboys.
“Jeff’s one of the most respectful young men I’ve ever met, that’s a testament how his parents raised him,” OHS Coach Eric Pinellas said. “He’s a hard-working kid and is intelligent about the game of football. He’ll learn (Duquesne)’s system quickly. He’s physical, he can cover, all the things you need out of a college defensive back.”
At Harmony, it was a six-pack.
Softball player Haley Diaz signed with Florida school Lynn University. “Haley’s been a four-year and is one of a kind,” Longhorns Coach Kristi Mindrup said. “She’s always makes things happen, so she will be hard to replace.”
Diaz signed with five baseball players:
Clayton Williams, Maryville (Tenn.) College;
Tanner Chapman, John Melvin Christian College in Pensacola;
Alexavier Lebron, Southern University in Baton Rouge, La.;
Ismael Rivera, Eastern Florida State in Melbourne;
Sam Castillo Chipola College in the Florida Panhandle.
Each cited the schools were their “best fit.”
“The coaching staff (at Southern) really stood out to me, I wanted that bond,” Lebron said.
“I’ve been wanting to go there since I was a kid,” Rivera said about Eastern Florida State.
