Putnam County had five football players attend camp at the University of Oklahoma this past weekend.
With War Eagles’ defensive backs coach Kedric Manning at the wheel, Rashod Daniel, Tyson Waller, Kaleb Crawford, Zacoree Wallace and Bryson Brown traveled 940 miles each way between Eatonton and Norman.
Manning thought the experience went well, and his players learned a lot.
“It was a very, very good experience for the guys. It was a chance for them to get on the radar and try to put them in a position to succeed,” Manning said. “I know this is a small area and we don’t get many big-name colleges coming through here. So, the worst-case scenario for me, was we go to them. We decided to gas up and go since it was a dead week for the GHSA anyway, so why not?”
The purpose of the trip for the five War Eagles was to get exposure on the recruiting trail; however, it also allowed them to see up close one of the country’s premier college football programs.
Daniel, Waller, Crawford, Wallace and Brown also got to showcase their talents for the OU coaching staff and other college football programs at different levels. They were able to interact with other high school prospects from across the country, too, while competing against each other in drills.
“It was great, and [our players] enjoyed every bit of it,” Manning said. “They went and competed at a very, very high level. And overall, they were pleased with the entire experience at OU.”
Manning and the players also got to tour the Oklahoma campus and the Sooners’ facilities.
“They got to do a lot of other things than compete,” Manning said. “They got to be kids but also got to witness what life is like at a Division I and Power Five program. That was the special part.”
Manning packed up the van and left Eatonton on May 31 with his players but was accompanied by his fiancée and son. The route from Eatonton to Norman takes more than a dozen hours, plus stops for gas, food and sightseeing in Oklahoma City. They arrived about 15 hours later.
En route, the five Putnam County players saw an entire portion of the United States they’d never encountered before. They also got to view first-hand the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and learn about its history, plus how impactful it was. It was the first trip for each of them to that part of the U.S.
“None of them had ever been to this side of the world. I gassed up the minivan and we left, man,” Manning said. “I don’t know if they were culture shocked because I didn’t really ask them about it, but I was telling them about the weather changed a lot. … But yes, that was the first time all of them, even my fiancée, it was her first time. So, it was a great experience for all of us together.”
Manning is a Putnam County graduate and made All-Region Team his senior year for the War Eagles. He then went on in 2005 to play at Garden City Community College and later transferred to Troy University in Alabama, where he was a defensive back and special teams player for the Trojans.
So, the trip out to Oklahoma with his players reminded Manning of when he was in their shoes more than a decade ago. He wanted those five young men, and his family, to experience what he did before.
“The main reason we drove was to show my kids that side of the world,” Manning said. “It’s different when you’re in an airplane. You see all that from above. I wanted to show them there is more than Eatonton. It’s the same thing my parents did for me when I was headed to college in Kansas.”
Manning made the same trip last year with defensive back Jalon Kilgore. The former War Eagle and four-star prospect is now at South Carolina, where he just finished up his first academic semester.
Manning feels Kilgore’s success can help pave the way for future War Eagles to earn scholarship offers.
“Ultimately, what I think Jalon did was open the floodgates for [Eatonton] to show coaches and other colleges that we have some ball players in this small town,” Manning said. “It helped us tremendously. He, his brother [Gerald, now at Tennessee Tech], and Malik [Thornton] as well. We’ve actually had a couple of guys that have gone on and helped this area a lot.”
The future of Putnam County drastically changed with Shaun Pope deciding to retire from the team in January, but new head coach Joel Harvin hopes to keep the momentum going heading into his first season this year.
Manning believes the success the program had under Pope’s direction can continue with Harvin at the helm. He also thinks Putnam County football has made a name for itself heading into the future.
“We’re just trying to build a pipeline from [Putnam County] to the world,” Manning said. “We have athletes and coaches who hopefully can now come to see these kids. We’ve got a lot of young talent.”