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Daniel’s Trapp, Cote bound for CU

Rex Brown/Courtesy The Journal

From left, Amir Trapp, Austin Barnes, head coach Randy Robinson, Andy McCall, Noah Preisch and Kyle Cote smile during a signing ceremony at Daniel High School on Wednesday in Central.

Three other teammates sign with colleges

By Eric Sprott
Courtesy The Journal

news@thepccourier.com

 

CENTRAL — As a grayshirt signee, Amir Trapp won’t have the opportunity to lace up his cleats as a member of the Clemson football team for nearly a year.

But as Daniel High School coach Randy Robinson sees it, just because the standout cornerback won’t be with the Tigers this fall is no reason to overlook Trapp, whose lockdown services have been pivotal for the Lions the past two seasons.

“I really feel confident Amir is going to go down there and show them his cover skills are second to none, and he’s going to be able to play,” Robinson said. “He really would have had gaudy stats if we could have gotten people to throw the football at him a little bit more.

“Unfortunately, after his junior year, everybody pretty much figured out to dodge him at all costs.”

Trapp was the star attraction during a jam-packed signing ceremony Wednesday morning in Central, while four of his teammates also signed on the dotted line to continue their careers at the next level.

Safety Kyle Cote will join Trapp at Clemson as a preferred walk-on, while H-back Austin Barnes and wide receiver Noah Preisch will play and room together at Newberry. Quarterback Andy McCall, meanwhile, signed with North Greenville.

“For a school our size to have five kids have an opportunity to play college football and get a free education, that’s amazing,” Robinson said.

Trapp’s signing garnered the most attention, as the Shrine Bowl cornerback follows in the footsteps of his father, James Trapp, who was a star cornerback at Clemson in the early 1990s before going on to a 10-year career in the NFL.

The senior, who totaled 55 tackles, nine passes broken up, four interceptions and three punt-return scores in his final season with the Lions, will enroll at Tri-County Technical College for the fall semester before joining the Tigers on a full scholarship in January.

And for Trapp, playing the waiting game to begin his career at Clemson — where he’ll join numerous former Daniel teammates — is just fine by him.

“I get a year to physically develop before I come in next January, so I’ll come in ready to compete, and that’s what I plan on doing,” he said. “Today is great, and it’s just so surreal.

“I’ve been dreaming about this day for a while, so it’s good to actually get it over with.”

Once at Clemson, Trapp plans to room with Cote, who spurned several opportunities at smaller schools before accepting a preferred walk-on spot at Clemson after talking with defensive coordinator Brent Venables during a recent campus visit.

Cote, who earned Western 3A all-region honors as a senior after totaling 103 tackles — along with 10 tackles for loss and four sacks — slow-played the news after making his decision to attend Clemson three weeks ago, even withholding the news from Trapp until last week.

“He was the first one to know, along with my mom,” Cote said with a laugh. “He was the first guy I wanted to share it with and let him know I’m all in and that I want to do this.

“It’s just one of those things that’s just so surreal.”

Barnes, meanwhile, inked his paperwork with Newberry on Wednesday after being previously committed to Charleston Southern.

The versatile offensive weapon — who earned all-region honors after finishing with 609 rushing yards, 376 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior — touted Newberry’s academics and atmosphere, both on campus and within the football program, for his decision to sign with the Wolves.

“It’s one of the biggest days of my life going to college and knowing I can start this year,” Barnes said. “They want me to come in and play strong, and I’ll go down there and finish out my career at Newberry before I try to go (to the NFL).”

He’ll room with Preisch, another all-region honoree who finished with 536 receiving yards and three scores last season.

Preisch said Wednesday’s signing was the culmination of two years of extremely hard work, as Newberry visited several practices over the last two years before extending an offer.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “To start my junior year, I didn’t have anyone looking at me, so I had to make a name for myself. I had to work really hard for that, and Newberry gave me a call saying they’d be coming to practice, and I’ve tried to show out ever since.

“It’s finally coming true, and I love that I’m going with Barnes.”

McCall, meanwhile, was a three-year starter for the Lions, and he capped his career by going 109-of-171 passing for 1,806 yards and 17 scores as a senior, which helped him garner all-region honors.

The senior signal caller considered Presbyterian and Furman among other, but he said North Greenville felt like the right fit for him.

“I grew up about an hour away from there, so it’s kind of the same atmosphere, and I’m just used to it,” said McCall, who plans to room with former Daniel teammate Daulton Pilgrim. “I like the small class sizes and just the Christian atmosphere over there, and I like the coaches, too.”

And for McCall, who quarterbacked Daniel in two Upper State championship games and the State title game in 2013, sharing the moment with four of his close friends on Wednesday was nothing short of an honor.

“It was great, because we’ve been playing together since our freshman year,” he said. “We’ve grown up together, and to be able to experience something like this together is amazing.”

Also signing letters of intent from Daniel on Wednesday were Taylour Hunter, who will continue her basketball career at Limestone, while Jacob Slann signed on with Clemson to run both cross-country and track.

For stories on Hunter and Slann, read Friday’s edition of The Journal.

esprott@upstatetoday.com | (864) 882-2386

Follow on Twitter@Journal_ESprott

CENTRAL — As a grayshirt signee, Amir Trapp won’t have the opportunity to lace up his cleats as a member of the Clemson football team for nearly a year.

But as Daniel High School coach Randy Robinson sees it, just because the standout cornerback won’t be with the Tigers this fall is no reason to overlook Trapp, whose lockdown services have been pivotal for the Lions the past two seasons.

“I really feel confident Amir is going to go down there and show them his cover skills are second to none, and he’s going to be able to play,” Robinson said. “He really would have had gaudy stats if we could have gotten people to throw the football at him a little bit more.

“Unfortunately, after his junior year, everybody pretty much figured out to dodge him at all costs.”

Trapp was the star attraction during a jam-packed signing ceremony Wednesday morning in Central, while four of his teammates also signed on the dotted line to continue their careers at the next level.

Safety Kyle Cote will join Trapp at Clemson as a preferred walk-on, while H-back Austin Barnes and wide receiver Noah Preisch will play and room together at Newberry. Quarterback Andy McCall, meanwhile, signed with North Greenville.

“For a school our size to have five kids have an opportunity to play college football and get a free education, that’s amazing,” Robinson said.

Trapp’s signing garnered the most attention, as the Shrine Bowl cornerback follows in the footsteps of his father, James Trapp, who was a star cornerback at Clemson in the early 1990s before going on to a 10-year career in the NFL.

The senior, who totaled 55 tackles, nine passes broken up, four interceptions and three punt-return scores in his final season with the Lions, will enroll at Tri-County Technical College for the fall semester before joining the Tigers on a full scholarship in January.

And for Trapp, playing the waiting game to begin his career at Clemson — where he’ll join numerous former Daniel teammates — is just fine by him.

“I get a year to physically develop before I come in next January, so I’ll come in ready to compete, and that’s what I plan on doing,” he said. “Today is great, and it’s just so surreal.

“I’ve been dreaming about this day for a while, so it’s good to actually get it over with.”

Once at Clemson, Trapp plans to room with Cote, who spurned several opportunities at smaller schools before accepting a preferred walk-on spot at Clemson after talking with defensive coordinator Brent Venables during a recent campus visit.

Cote, who earned Western 3A all-region honors as a senior after totaling 103 tackles — along with 10 tackles for loss and four sacks — slow-played the news after making his decision to attend Clemson three weeks ago, even withholding the news from Trapp until last week.

“He was the first one to know, along with my mom,” Cote said with a laugh. “He was the first guy I wanted to share it with and let him know I’m all in and that I want to do this.

“It’s just one of those things that’s just so surreal.”

Barnes, meanwhile, inked his paperwork with Newberry on Wednesday after being previously committed to Charleston Southern.

The versatile offensive weapon — who earned all-region honors after finishing with 609 rushing yards, 376 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior — touted Newberry’s academics and atmosphere, both on campus and within the football program, for his decision to sign with the Wolves.

“It’s one of the biggest days of my life going to college and knowing I can start this year,” Barnes said. “They want me to come in and play strong, and I’ll go down there and finish out my career at Newberry before I try to go (to the NFL).”

He’ll room with Preisch, another all-region honoree who finished with 536 receiving yards and three scores last season.

Preisch said Wednesday’s signing was the culmination of two years of extremely hard work, as Newberry visited several practices over the last two years before extending an offer.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “To start my junior year, I didn’t have anyone looking at me, so I had to make a name for myself. I had to work really hard for that, and Newberry gave me a call saying they’d be coming to practice, and I’ve tried to show out ever since.

“It’s finally coming true, and I love that I’m going with Barnes.”

McCall, meanwhile, was a three-year starter for the Lions, and he capped his career by going 109-of-171 passing for 1,806 yards and 17 scores as a senior, which helped him garner all-region honors.

The senior signal caller considered Presbyterian and Furman among other, but he said North Greenville felt like the right fit for him.

“I grew up about an hour away from there, so it’s kind of the same atmosphere, and I’m just used to it,” said McCall, who plans to room with former Daniel teammate Daulton Pilgrim. “I like the small class sizes and just the Christian atmosphere over there, and I like the coaches, too.”

And for McCall, who quarterbacked Daniel in two Upper State championship games and the State title game in 2013, sharing the moment with four of his close friends on Wednesday was nothing short of an honor.

“It was great, because we’ve been playing together since our freshman year,” he said. “We’ve grown up together, and to be able to experience something like this together is amazing.”

Also signing letters of intent from Daniel on Wednesday were Taylour Hunter, who will continue her basketball career at Limestone, while Jacob Slann signed on with Clemson to run both cross-country and track.

For stories on Hunter and Slann, read Friday’s edition of The Journal.

esprott@upstatetoday.com | (864) 882-2386

Follow on Twitter@Journal_ESprott