By:  J. Daniel Pearson

Osceola star lineman Marcus Ferrer will remain in-state to play college football.  The All-Conference lineman signed with Division II power West Florida in a ceremony at the school’s gymnasium on Wednesday afternoon.

Ferrer, 6-7, 330, selected West Florida after missing his junior season with injury resulted in a frantic recruiting period his senior year.

“It was pretty wild,” Osceola coach Eric Pinellas said.  “After he missed his junior year, he wasn’t really on the radar of D-1 schools.  When I started contacting division two schools, a lot of coaches felt he was too good to be at that level.  Midway through his senior year, a lot of bigger schools started inquiring.  USF showed a lot of interest but then their coach got the Auburn job and took his offensive line coach with him.  There’s no question he’s a D-1 level player.”

For Ferrer’s part, he’s happy to be with the Argos – who won the Division II national championship in 2019 and have been a mainstay in the playoffs since. “They said they really wanted me and Coach Nobles (Head Coach Kaleb Nobles) said he believed I could help this team,” he said.  “My goal is to go there, get established and try to start my freshman year.” In an age of transfers, he added that he was not necessarily looking to eventually move on.  “West Florida has a plan to move from D2 to D1 in 2027,” Ferrer said.  “I think it would be pretty neat to be a part of an historic move like that.”

Ferrer’s teammates Ja’mario Bradford (Nebraska-Kearney) and Alijah Jenkins (St. Thomas) also signed on Wednesday; as did Kowboys’ volleyball player Mikayla Mathews (Xavier College), baseball players OnixxJoe Barreto and Jasber Freitez (both John Melvin University) and soccer player Alexander Aragon (Salem, WV).

Jenkins, who committed to Clark College in December, reopened his recruitment after that school fired their head coach and released all players that previously committed to the school.  “St. Thomas was one of my top picks to begin with and they were the first to contact me when the Clark fired its coach,” Jenkins said.  “They said they needed a playmaker and told me they wanted me,” the senior who accounted for 1500 all-purpose yards and scored eight touchdowns said.

Bradford was three-year lettermen with Osceola who accounted for nine interceptions, 42 pass breakups and 159 tackles in his career.  He will play either corner or safety at Nebraska-Kearney, a Division II school with a long history of success in the Mid-American Athletic Conference.

A scholar athlete, Mathews was a two-year starter at middle block for Osceola’s volleyball team, that finished 26-5 and advanced to the Class 7A, FHSAA Final Four this past season.

“I wanted to attend an HBCU and academics are very important to me, as I intend to major in pre-med and Xavier has an excellent academic reputation.” Mathews said.  “I haven’t been playing volleyball very long, so I am excited for this opportunity to play at the next level.”

Barreto and Freitez begin their senior year as returning starters.  Barreto his .317 last season; while Fereitiz compiled a 3.50 ERA in 10 appearances.  Aragon, a fullback, will play for Salem College in Bridgeport, WV.