Four seniors plan to sign their national letters of intent to continue their athletic careers in college during a ceremony in the main gym this afternoon.

Carson Buckner plans to attend Birmingham Southern College for lacrosse. Football players Bailey Smith, Aaron Fuller and Kevin Davis plan to attend Texas Tech, Washington and Lamar, respectively. Bowman Sells also signed to play for the University of Houston, but has already enrolled in school and will not be a part of today’s event.

The Red Ledger caught up each of the four seniors signing today to ask them about their college choice, the recruiting process, how Lovejoy has prepared them, and what they are looking forward to in college.

The Red Ledger: Why did you choose this school?

Carson Buckner: I chose Birmingham Southern College, because of both the academic and athletic benefits that the school has to offer. The campus itself is great and I met the coaches and players and felt like I got along with the team pretty well.

Kevin Davis: I chose Lamar, because they decided to give me a great opportunity to play football for them. I also know their defensive coordinator personally so that was a big factor as well.

Bailey Smith: I had gone to a summer camp for Texas Tech, and I played well which led to talking with Coach Lee Hayes, the offensive line coach. Hayes said he wanted me on the roster, it was just a matter of finding a scholarship, and one eventually opened up.

Aaron Fuller: It’s something new and I wanted to get out of Texas. [Washington] also has great football and I liked the head coach.

TRL: How would you describe the recruiting process for you?

CB: The recruiting process was pretty long for me, it started at the end of my sophomore year and ended late last semester. I really didn’t start picking up a lot of interest until the beginning of my junior year.

KD: The recruiting for me was pretty slow to start. I got some D3 offers later on in the process, but I decided that wasn’t for me.

BS: The whole process was very confusing for me as I didn’t really know where I would end up and whether I would be playing college football or not. I was able to keep in contact with Coach Hayes through social media, but otherwise it was really up in the air.

AF: It’s been a really long process considering I started when I was a freshman.

TRL: What were the major factors that weighed in your decision?

CB: The three biggest things were academics, cost, and how I would be able to contribute to the lacrosse team. Birmingham Southern has solid academics and I got a good amount of academic scholarships from them.

KD: The main factor that contributed to my decision was that Lamar was a higher level of football than the other schools that were recruiting me, and like I said before knowing the [defensive coordinator] there.

BS: Texas Tech has a really great program and a beautiful campus. The next few years will be really crazy and everyone should watch because Lovejoy and Texas Tech play very similar football. Knowing the coaches and fans was also a factor.

AF: The connection I had with the coaches as well as the overall school/education and level of football.

TRL: What other schools did you consider?

CB: Centre, Sewanee, VMI.

KD: Texas Lutheran and Austin College.

BS: Houston Baptist College.

AF: Houston, SMU, Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern.

TRL: What are you planning to study in college?

CB: I am planning on studying business finance.

KD: I am currently undecided.

BS: I want to study business management.

AF: [To be a] Chiropractor or physical therapy.

TRL: What are you looking forward to most about starting college?

CB: The ability to play lacrosse at the next level and contribute towards winning a SAA conference title.

KD: Obviously besides playing football, I think I am most excited to meet new people and begin to develop friendships that I could have for the rest of my life

BS: The college workouts. It’s been awhile and I’m just ready to get back at it again.

AF: Just playing football in a big setting like Washington, especially at Husky Stadium.

TRL: Did you make a campus visit? What made the the biggest impression?

CB: I visited campus three times, the first two were just for lacrosse showcases and then the third time was an official visit. The campus quad and athletic facilities both impressed me a lot.

KD: I actually have not visited Lamar yet, but I will be visiting soon.

BS: I made a visit just last weekend. The biggest impression was that the freshman get to live in new residential facilities that are right next to the stadium and a two-minute walk to the athletic facilities.

AF: I’ve had two visits and probably the fans, they are really crazy up there.

TRL: What was your best memory from Lovejoy High School athletics?

CB: The best memory that I have had so far was winning a Division 3 championship as a freshman in overtime against our former coach against Parish Episcopal.

KD: My best memory from Lovejoy athletics is definitely beating Frisco in AT&T stadium in the playoffs. The defense played spectacular that game and it’s definitely something that I will never forget.

BS: The game winning field goal against Prosper in the rain. I’ll never forget that.

AF: All the comebacks we’ve had like Colleyville and Terrell.

TRL: How did Lovejoy prepare you for this next step in your career?

CB: Lovejoy prepared me more for the academic aspect of college with pushing me to strive for more in the classroom and preparing me for the SAT and ACT.

KD: I think Lovejoy has prepared me for the next level by proving to me that it takes hard work and dedication to reach and achieve goals. I am better prepared for any hardships to come because of Lovejoy football.

BS: I received a great work ethic from the football program, especially Coach Cox in how he pushed us to to be the best we could be, and he deserves a lot of credit. Coach Priem and Pointer also helped me with my technique and offensive style.

AF: Just making me a better person and making connections with people and coaches.

TRL: What are you most proud of from your high school career?

CB: The thing that I am most proud of is becoming a captain last year and becoming a better leader.

KD: I think the thing that I am most proud of is just how the football team overcame so much adversity the three years I was on varsity. Also I am proud of how much more of a team we were at the end of my senior year, as opposed to the the beginning of my junior year.

BS: It’s hard to say, but probably playing alongside such great guys, last year with Dan, Jake, and Tommy, and now this year as well.

AF: Making first team all-state last year

TRL: What are your goals for your college career?

CB: I want to lead BSC to the NCAA tournament and create a culture of winning within the program.

KD: Besides the obvious goals like work my way up the depth chart and get on the field as much as I can, I don’t have any quantitative goals yet.

BS: Get stronger and faster so I can earn a starting spot.

AF: To start freshman year.

TRL: What do you think the biggest challenge will be in adjusting to the college game?

CB: The pace of play and overall competition level. When you get to the next level, everyone on every team is good. In high school every team has a few good players and you can kind of pick on the lesser players on opposing teams.

KD: The biggest challenge I think will be just adjusting to the speed of the game.

BS: The speed, getting acclimated to the speed of the game, especially in the Big 12.

AF: The size and speed of the players I will compete against.