Three Hancock Football Players Sign with Division I Programs
Three Allan Hancock College football players signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday morning inside Joe White Memorial Gymnasium. Cornerback DaMarion King signed with Louisiana Tech University, kick returner and running back Malik Williams inked papers to the University of Louisville and defensive end Kevon Perry signed with the University of Louisiana–Lafayette. All three earned All-Conference First Team honors in 2015 for the Bulldogs. To watch a complete story on the ceremony, click here.
"To have three young men earn opportunities to play at four-year universities and represent Hancock is a tribute to them, our college and the coaching staff," said head coach Kris Dutra. "All three men made succeeding in the classroom and on the field their biggest priorities and it paid off in a big way. We could not be prouder of them."
Williams waited until Wednesday morning to make his decision. He chose Louisville over University of Alabama-Birmingham, Purdue, Texas State and Southeastern Louisiana.
"I really liked Louisville. It was a nice place," said Williams, who expects to play running back, special teams and some wide receiver for the Cardinals. "When I went out to visit, I really liked it. The coaches have been great to me. It felt like the best fit."
Led by head coach Bobby Petrino, Louisville competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and is coming off an 8-5 season that included a 27-21 win over Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl. The Cardinals open the 2016 season at home against the University of North Carolina - Charlotte. Williams plans to major in kinesiology at Louisville.
He received All-State and All-Conference honors during the 2015 season for the Bulldogs. He averaged a state-leading 198.6 all-purpose yards per game. He rushed for a team-high 525 yards and scored five touchdowns. He also led the team with 287 punt return yards, 217 receiving yards and 361 kickoff return yards. His biggest output of the season was 331 all-purpose yards in a 39-35 victory at Bakersfield that included a 96-yard kickoff return to set up the game-winning touchdowns.
Perry will head to Louisiana–Lafayette where the Ragin' Cajuns compete in the Sun Belt Conference. Last year, they finished 4-8 under head coach Mike Hudspeth. The team will open the 2016 season at home against Boise State. More than 30 Ragin' Cajuns have gone on to play in the NFL.
"My goal when I came out here was to create a better opportunity to make it to a Division I school. And to achieve it is mind blowing," said Perry, who plans to major in criminal justice. "I never thought I would get this far especially where I grew up. Everybody felt like any player out of Buffalo would end up in jail or a gang. And to prove everybody wrong feels good."
Perry was a two-time All-Conference First Team pick. He led the state with 27 tackles for loss and recorded at least 1.5 stops for lost yardage in all 10 games for the Bulldogs his sophomore season. He finished second on the team with 74 tackles and led the squad with eight sacks. The New York native finished his Bulldog career with 121 total tackles, 39 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.
King committed to play at Louisiana Tech University, an FBS-level program that competes in Conference USA. Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz has praised King for his experience, maturity, athleticism and hard-hitting approach that will fill a void to a secondary that lost three of its four starters to graduation.
King earned All-Conference First Team honors his sophomore season at Hancock. He finished with 67 total tackles and returned both of his interceptions for touchdowns, including an 80-yard pick-six. He also recovered three fumbles, including one for a touchdown. King was also credited with nine pass breakups for the Bulldogs. As a freshman, King had 33 total tackles and broke up four passes over nine games.
The Alabama native chose Louisiana Tech over Hawai'i.
"Coming to Hancock helped me be more aggressive and have fun more playing football. I definitely got stronger and faster. It prepared me for the next level," said King. "Growing up in Alabama and going all the way out to California that's a big step. So it definitely helped me grow as a man and I'm thankful for that."
Louisiana Tech finished the 2015 season with a 9-4 overall record. The Bulldogs defeated Arkansas State 47-28 in the New Orleans Bowl. Louisiana Tech opens the 2016 season on Saturday, September 3 at the University of Arkansas.
Dutra said more sophomores could sign with four-year universities in the coming months.