Demopolis’ Harper signs with Stillman

Rodney Harper’s National Signing Day experience changed drastically Wednesday afternoon when he received an offer from Stillman College.

Harper, a 6-3, 175-pound receiver, signed the offer, which also included a track scholarship, late Wednesday.

“I’m real happy to have this opportunity to play football at the next level,” Harper, who led the Tigers in catches and yards in 2012, said. “It was basically my senior year. Ninth grade through 11th grade, I didn’t have much confidence at all. During the summer, Coach Royce (McKinney) was working with me, helping me build up my confidence. I’ve just been calm and started playing. I figured I would have a shot at college. I actually focused more this year. I started understanding the game and it just came to me.”

“He started cracking the egg. He has always had potential. Rodney as a junior going into his senior year last spring, there was nothing to show what he really could do. It was all what he was capable of. This season Rodney made some plays that Rodney can make and he started making those plays in game on Friday nights and really matured and grew up. Him and Brock Montgomery made our offense so much better this year by being those guys on the edge that they were,” Demopolis coach said of Harper. “What we’ve been looking for out of Rodney was that big bodied receiver that we could just put some air under it and give him a chance and really make a quarterback look good at times and he’s physical on the edge blocking. He’s got really good hands and he developed this year into a lot better route runner and made some big time plays on the edge that we hadn’t been getting out of him that we got out of him this year.”

While Harper blossomed in football as a senior, he has excelled in track throughout his high school career. That sprinter’s ability helped to endear him to the athletic department at Stillman where he will now have an opportunity to succeed in two sports at the collegiate level.

“Starting off track my freshman year, I was alright at running. I went to state all three years and I’m planning to go to state this year too,” Harper, who made the West Alabama Watchman All-County team as a senior, said. “But I really didn’t train from my ninth grade to my 11th grade year until Coach Royce got here. Now he’s training me.”