Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

It was a big year for college signings at Bainbridge High School. 13 athletes inked deals to further their athletic careers at universities across Georgia and the Southeast. 

Thomas University claims the most Bearcats from the class of 2024. Four athletes across football, baseball and cross country will join the Nighthawks. 

Drew Clayton has signed to play baseball at Thomas. He said his signing is a “dream come true.”

“I’ve worked very hard for this,” Clayton said. “A lot of hours and a lot of time spent, a lot of people that pour all the help they can into you, and this is the result.”

Caden Godwin signed with the Night Hawks to run cross country. Godwin was a consistent top finisher for the Bearcats and logged a second-place overall finish at the GHSA Region 1-4A Championship Meet this season.

Twins Cam and CJ Sanders have signed to play football at the university. Cam was recruited as a quarterback, and CJ was recruited as a wide receiver. 

The two played pivotal roles on the Bearcat football team this season. Sanders threw for 1950 passing yards and 21 touchdowns, accruing a 67% completion rate and 188.1 average passer rating. He also rushed for 408 yards and six touchdowns. CJ saw most of his work on the defensive side of the ball in the 2023-2024 season, but he got the opportunity to start on offense against Ware County. He caught three passes from his brother for 32 yards and one touchdown.

Four other BHS football players signed with universities to play their sport. 

Antavious Murphy and Keenan Phillips were three-star recruits in the 2023-2024 season. Murphy signed with Georgia Southern University. Phillips Initially committed to James Madison University (JMU) before de-committing and signing with Georgia Military College after JMU lost its head coach in early December. Phillips said he plans to play at the Military college and then transfer to a larger university.

Samuel Haire signed with Reinhardt University, and Kahleem Murphy signed with Savannah State University.

The Bearcat soccer team saw two players sign— Brock Williams and Nicholas Tyre. Williams signed with Clayton State University (CSU) after a record-breaking season at BHS. He said CSU head coach Pete Peterson made making his decision an easy one. 

“Coach Petersen and the coaching staff made me feel welcome from the start of the recruiting process and wanted me to be a part of the program,” Williams said.

Tyre signed with Enterprise State Community College. His scholarship at Enterprise is for two years, and then he hopes to transfer to a bigger university to continue playing through his final years of collegiate eligibility. 

“Hopefully, after two years, if I’m getting some looks, I can transfer to a four-year university and keep this going,” Tyre said

Brenna Conley was the sole Ladycat to sign an athletic scholarship this year. Conley signed with Charleston Southern University to continue her pitching career. Conlet was a force on the mound for the Ladycats this year and surpassed a milestone 400 career strikeouts during the season.

Bainbridge basketball player AJ Grant has signed to play with East Georgia State College. The point guard inked his commitment Friday afternoon. He said he’s been working toward this day since he was four years old.

“The feeling is amazing,” Grant said. “The end goal was this, even though this isn’t the end, but this is a step in the process.

Sam Surratt signed with ABAC to continue his golf career. Surratt was a consistent top finisher for the Bearcats this year and helped lead them to a region championship.