By T. Scott Boatright
A pair of Ruston High School football players announced their decisions on their gridiron futures Thursday in front of family and friends in the RHS Auditorium.
Offensive lineman Jeb White signed on to become a Louisiana College Wildcat while kicker/punter Caleb Phillips and his big leg completed paperwork to walk on to the Louisiana Tech football team.
For Phillips, who said he intends to major in engineering, location played a big role in his decision.
“Staying at home is going to be really fun,” Phillips said. “I feel like I can really succeed there. The spot’s pretty open and the coaching staff and other people I know there really think that I have a chance to do something big there, so I’m really excited about that.”
Phillips becomes part of a Tech kicking group that includes Jacob Barnes, younger brother of former Tech kicking standout Jonathan Barnes, and Garin Boniol, son of former Tech and NFL kicking staff Chris Boniol.
“It’s going to be fun to have a lot of competition,” Phillips said. “I’m going to be doing everything, but I think they’re looking at me mainly for punting and kicking off.”
White also said location and playing home games as nearby as Pineville played a role in his decision.
“Location and being closer to family is big, and I really like the religion aspect of it,” said White, who said he plans to major in social studies education.