commit to continue their athletic carreers

Three seniors signed to their chosen universities on National Signing Day, Feb. 1.

Both Jackson Turnbull and JJ White signed to Fort Hays University, while Jackson McKechnie signed to Emporia State University. White and McKechnie committed to play football, while Turnbull committed to play baseball and football.

When going through the process of actually committing to a university, McKechnie didn’t have any issues.

“I just committed and they set everything up for me,” McKechnie said. “It was all kinda already handled in the recruitment process itself.”

Although McKechnie received other offers from schools including Pittsburg State University, Missouri Western State University, Coffeyville Community College, there were a few factors that tied into his final decision on which school he was going to commit to.

“I had a good connection with all the players and coaches in the program. It was a want and a need for me to be there,” McKechnie said. “Also, they have a really great business school that I can get my degree at.”

According to McKechnie, he hopes to gain a brotherhood with his teammates and gain connections. These connections can be used in his future.

“I’m living in the present right now and I wanna make the most of it with the opportunity that I have in front of me and turn this opportunity to get a degree into something great down the road,” McKechnie said.

White says that actually committing to a college was not complicated.

“The coach just sent a letter of intent and you have to sign saying that in the fall you are going to that school for football,” White said.

Like McKechnie, White had a lot of offers from different colleges across the country. He actually received more offers for wrestling than football. Despite this, choosing which college to attend was not a hard decision for him.

“[Fort Hays] felt like home and the whole town and college were very welcoming,” White said. White will be pursuing a degree in agronomy business at Fort Hays.

“I hope to grow more as an adult and continue my football career on the next level,” White said.

In contrast to McKechnie and White’s experience in committing to a college, Turnbull struggled when choosing a college that would check off all of his boxes. He had visits to colleges ranging from D1 universities to Community Colleges.

“My recruiting process was really long. Signing was lile the cherry on top of the whole thing,” Turnbull said. “I’m not going to lie, it was very stressful, but in the end I just knew Fort Hays was where I fit at.”

Like McKechnie, Turnbull had offers from numerous colleges including Drake University, Northwest Missouri State, Butler Community College, Dodge City Community College, William Jewell, Washburn University, Emporia State University, and Missouri University of Science and Technology. There were three things that he was searching for in a college.

“First thing being if I academically fit into the school and its programs. Secondly coaches, as they are people I’m spending the most time with for the next 4-5 years. I wanted to make sure I clicked really well with them,” Turnbull said. “Third, program. I want to be in a place that has culture and I’ll fit into easily.”

During his Junior baseball season Turnbull got injured and had to have Tommy John surgery. He had to go through 20 weeks of physical therapy where he got up at six in the morning, three times a week.

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to play any football my senior year,” Turnbull said. “It’s a grind to be able to earn yourself an opportunity to play college athletics at any level.”

Turnbull is optimisitc that playing football at Fort Hays University will gain him friendships and experiences that will contribute to his future success. In addition to sports, Turnbull will be pursuing a Biology degree with a Pre-Med emphasis.

“I hope to get into a career field that fits me well and have a family some day,” Turnbull said.”But right now, the biggest perk is being able to have the experience of playing college football in the MIAA.”