EARLY SIGNING DAY: Trinity’s Register, West Laurens’ Cummings, Howell, Adkins ink D1 football commitments

Though their signing celebrations varied in location on the calendar from Dec. 3 – day 1 of the NCAA’s early signing period – to this past week, four Laurens County footballers endorsed paperwork to lock in their college football destinations earlier this month.

Trinity punter Wade Register joined West Laurens standouts Ty Cummings (running back), Shannon Adkins (linebacker) and Grady Howell (offensive line) in formalizing their longstanding verbal commitments to play for three programs at the next level.

Here’s where the four are headed, and what each had to say about the next chapter of their football careers…

‘I’m ready’: Register eager for chance to kick Between the Hedges

With the entire Trinity Christian School student body – numbering a few hundred – assembled in the Clyde Evans Fieldhouse bleachers, Trinity head coach Bruce Lane couldn’t pass up the chance to tease his Georgia-bound punter Wade Register about how much larger a crowd in Athens, and in stadiums around the rest of the SEC, he’ll soon be playing in front of every Saturday. 

“If this makes you nervous, I was in Sanford Stadium a couple weeks ago, and there are gonna be a few more people,” he quipped, before offering Register the floor to say a few words to those gathered at his signing day celebration earlier this month. 

The prospect of doing anything with 92,000 people watching in person (and maybe somewhere close to a million more on TV) is definitely no joke, much less handling a deep snap and kicking a football while several ill-tempered opposing players are running your direction. 

But Register, who was hardly fazed by this comparatively small spotlight, said he’s got zero stage fright when it comes to the attention and pressure of performing at the highest level of the college game. 

“I’m ready,” he said. “It’s gonna be so cool. I’ve been on the field a few times, not in uniform, so I’m excited about that. But looking up at the stadium, at 90,000 people, is an extraordinary experience unlike any other, and I’m super excited about it.”

The nationally-rated specialist, who becomes Laurens County’s first kicker or punter to join the Dawgs since Brian Mimbs (of Dublin) in 2004, certainly has some talent worthy of the big-time. 

Register demonstrated as much of it in front of evaluators at multiple offseason events sponsored by special teams-dedicated recruiting service Kohl’s Professional Camps as he did on-field handling the bulk of the Crusaders’ kicking chores the past three seasons, over which his career average was 42 yards per punt and 60 per kickoff, the longest of each close to 70. 

He also hit 68 touchbacks and, on punts, pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line 26 times, on top of making 13 field goals (a longest of 48 yards) and all but one of 58 point-after tries while leading Trinity in both rushing and tackles, among other defensive stats. 

“He is the most decorated player that I’ve coached in 42 years,” Lane said. “Under Armour All-American, No. 1 punter in the nation, Atlanta Journal-Constitution preseason all-state team… But he means so much more to us than just as a kicker.” 

Much like it would for a baseball pitcher, his linebacker’s build – 6-foot-2, 218-pounds – offered some projectable upside that proved just as exciting to Georgia when it offered Register, and quickly secured his verbal commitment, early this past summer. 

The chance to become a Bulldog meant a lot, though getting to play college football in what’s basically his own backyard was an added blessing that made the decision a no-brainer. 

“It is a dream come true to be able to play in my home state,” Register said. “It’s two hours up the road, you can’t beat it. Any certain weekend that I want to I can come home and visit with family, and I don’t have to worry about them taking plane flights, or missing games or anything. Being able to basically stay in my community is super cool, and I’m really happy to be able to have that opportunity.”

Cummings sticks with Georgia Southern

Ty Cummings’ recruitment got a little bit crazy after a record-breaking performance against Baldwin in September suddenly launched him into the statewide and national spotlight. 

The wave of attention earned the West Laurens running back a much-deserved look from some major programs, and several new opportunities he took into consideration along with existing offers. 

In the end, his original commitment to Georgia Southern didn’t waver. 

The fact that the Eagles were one of the first programs interested, and everything else that made them a great fit to begin with, kept him locked in on a destination in Statesboro that he made official at the start of the NCAA early signing period Dec. 3. 

“They were the only one that really talked to me every day and it felt like a connection and a family between them,” Cummings said. “They were the closest to me, closest to home, right up the road.” 

His official signing, amid the Raiders’ final preparations for a state semifinal matchup with Jefferson, came with little fanfare earlier in the month, but the senior enjoyed his day to celebrated with loved ones – from teammates and family to coaches and fans – who packed out the WLHS library this past Wednesday, Dec. 17. 

Most gathered for photos with Cummings around a table decorated with pieces of Georgia Southern memorabilia, mixed in along with photos and mementoes of the many school and state records broken during his illustrious high school career (of which a recent write-up on the 615-yard, eight-touchdown game in Sports Illustrated might have been the coolest of all). 

It should come as no surprise that the newly-selected region 4-AAA player of the year, and the Raiders’ class of 2026 as a whole, necessitated a complete overhaul of the school record book, which Laurens County Schools athletic director Jeff Clayton finished updating this past weekend. 

Cummings now tops categories for points in a season (204) and career (422), all-purpose touchdowns in a season (34) and career (70) and season (2,822) and career (6,704) all-purpose yards. 

The only rushing categories he doesn’t lead are single-game attempts (Cummings, even in the Baldwin game, never had more than 30) and carries in a season (Darius Bradford’s 244 remains the high mark). 

But his bests for yardage in a game (615), season (2,558), career (6,003) and touchdowns in a game (eight), season (31) and all-time (64) will likely be unmatched for generations. 

Interestingly enough, Cummings is slated to be joined in Georgia Southern’s running back room by the player whose single-game rushing record he broke on that unreal night in September, as former Coffee Trojan Tyreese Woodgett – a transfer portal pickup via GMC – is also a member of its incoming recruiting class. 

Both before and after the breakout, no one pursued Cummings harder than the Eagles, whose running backs coach Taylor Reed stayed in near-constant contact to emphasize his centrality to their future plans on the offensive side of the ball. The continual communication, and that relationship going back to the very beginning of the process, counted for a lot when it came time for a final decision. 

“It’s always been the same,” Cummings said. “They’ve been texting me every day since the summer… Good morning. How’ve you been? How’s the family?” 

On the subject of relationships, a strong bond already in place with current and future teammate Grady Howell will allow the two to pick up right about where they left off this past season when Cummings joins him as a freshman in Statesboro this fall. 

And as an added bit of deja vu, Shannon Adkins and Charleston Southern will also be first up on their schedule Sept. 5 at Paulson Stadium. 

“That’s always been our dream and goal to play with each other at the next level,” Cummings said. “And we play against Shannon the first game, so that’s gonna be real fun.” 

Howell excited longtime teammate will join for next steps in Statesboro 

The two were by no means any type of package deal, but it’s not lost on Grady Howell – who also signed with Georgia Southern Dec. 3 – how rare and neat an opportunity it’s going to be to continue playing football at the next level with a running back in Ty Cummings who he’s blocked for since middle school. 

The strong bond shared between West Laurens’ two most highly-recruited offensive standouts, and their other teammates, was one you couldn’t miss in the chemistry and sense of shared desire that helped drive the Raiders to their record 13 wins, a region championship and first-ever state semifinal appearance this past fall. 

Though Howell will be heading to Georgia Southern a semester early as a spring enrollee next month (Cummings is set to join after a traditional graduation this summer), the history-minded duo will be able to get to work on a new set of goals in a new place as soon as both reunite with sights set on some fresh opportunities in Statesboro. 

“It’s just unreal the fact that we get to go to the same college,” Howell said. “We’ve built such a bond together. It’s going to continue at the next level, and we’re going to continue just to win games.”

Though he moved from a sophomore and junior-year position at left tackle to right guard (aside from a spot on back on the exterior in an extra-heavy package) this fall, Howell was just as much a cornerstone as many of the Raiders’ leading skill players on a roster that began building toward this past fall’s success as freshmen. 

At 6-foot-5, 280, he was also blessed with some uncommon physical gifts realized well in advance of that first high school season that foreshadowed this eventual D1 potential. 

Georgia Southern wasn’t the only school interested, but similar to the recruiting experience of Cummings, Howell was consistently blown away by how much of a priority the Eagles placed on getting him. 

“When I went on my official visit, that was just the breaking point,” he said. “They were showing me all kinds of attention, and welcoming. I knew they wanted me worse than anything.” 

Fresh off the culmination of a four-year high school career that goes to show what can be accomplished by staying the course, Howell is enthusiastic about getting started with a new chapter that has just as many possibilities. 

“I’m definitely most proud of us winning region and going from a 1-9, 2-8 team to growing and turning this thing around into a 13-1 semifinal playoff team,” Howell said. “I’m most looking forward to the rivalry games and the experience and the environment I’ll be in for the next four years.”

With West Laurens history made, Adkins set to continue memorable journey at CSU

Shannon Adkins isn’t ashamed of the fact that some of the happiest moments of his football career have gotten just a bit emotional. 

He admits shedding a tear or two after fulfilling a longtime dream when West Laurens won the region 4-AAA championship to wrap up a perfect regular season back in October. But there were definitely quite a few flowing when another one came true much earlier this year, as he got a phone call out of the blue from a Charleston Southern assistant coach to let him know he’d be getting the opportunity to play Division 1 college football. 

The Buccaneers had had their eye on the Raider linebacker since an introduction at some point before his junior season. But one thing wouldn’t begin leading to another until the following spring, when CSU linebackers coach Zack Johnson stopped by an unpadded spring workout during April, and got a chance to converse with both Adkins and several of his coaches. 

“That day, he shook my hand and we didn’t really hear from each other… but we stayed in contact,” Adkins said. “Then, Memorial Day, I was driving on the way home, and he just called and said, we’re gonna offer you. Once he told me that, I just broke down crying, and it just went from there.” 

After a visit to Charleston during some rounds later in the summer, and some time to think over his options (which included several other in-state opportunities), he’d commit to the Bucs late this past season. 

“What stood out to me was the city,” Adkins said. “Where we’re from, there’s not a lot down here. So me just seeing a different city, it was like a bigger Savannah. I kind of liked how it looked. Water, 30 minutes from the beach. The people down there are nice. It was just a lot of good stuff down there.” 

While he might have some sentimental moments off the field, Adkins is no softy when it comes to tackling, and plays with an edge that made him both the emotional and statistical leader of the West Laurens defense the past two seasons. 

On top of delivering some of his signature physicality in short-yardage situations at running back (where he never took a loss on the way to 253 yards and 11 touchdowns this year), he had likely the keenest killer instincts of the Raiders’ sharks on the other side of the ball, chalking up 130 total tackles (to get within seven and a half of Johnny O’Neal’s single-season record, and move to eighth on the school career list), and a whopping 93 solos, with 10 for loss, two sacks and a hand in five turnovers, plus two defensive touchdowns. 

He and the West Laurens defense definitely left a literal mark on some opposing players, though the figurative one made by the Raiders this past season has him more than satisfied with what was accomplished by the team, and its senior class, to cement its status as the program’s greatest ever. 

If you asked him for one single memory from the fall that summed it all up, it’d definitely be the poignant winning feeling after defeating Westside Augusta to reach a long-awaited mountaintop in game 10. 

“I’m gonna have to say the region championship,” Adkins said. “There’s too many moments. I can’t pick one, but that would be my most memorable.”