LEBANON — In a ceremony at Lebanon High School Library, Max Boyd and Kalib Simmons signed to play NAIA football with Bluefield University.
“We are very excited to get Max and Kalib,” said Bluefield University coach Dewey Lusk. “We want to recruit the best players locally, and I feel we have recruited two of the better players in southwest Virginia. Max has a tremendous upside with his length and the motor he possesses to get to the football. He knocks down a lot of passes, which gives opposing quarterbacks a tougher throw around him. He has great potential.
“Kalib is another young man with a tremendous upside. He is a very smart player with length, and you can’t coach length. Kalib will join one of the best wise receiver groups in the country this fall. He has great potential as well.”
Boyd is pleased to put his signature on the line for the Rams.
“It’s something I’ve been wanted to do for the last two years,” Boyd said. “I gave it a lot of thought, effort, and consideration, and I thought Bluefield was a good choice for me. It’s close to home, a good school, and they made me a good offer.”
Coach Lusk was the big draw to Bluefield for Boyd.
“When I went up on my visit, I ate lunch with Coach Lusk,” stated Boyd. “I got to know him, and he seemed like a good coach and a good person. He’s someone that you want to be around and play for.
“I’ve set some expectations for my sophomore, junior and senior years. As a freshman, I want to stay in the weight room, get bigger, and get better.”
After an extremely tough senior season for the Pioneers, Simmons is excited about the chance to play at Bluefield University. It’s tough to miss any time with an injury, but it is magnified when it is your final year of high school.
“I’m glad to have the opportunity with everything that happened this year, and I didn’t get to finish the football season due to surgery on my hand,” Simmons said. “It really broke me when I found out.”
Simmons was attracted to Bluefield for a variety of reasons.
“I liked the atmosphere and the coaches,” stated Simmons. “They were welcoming and energetic, I connected with them fast. Some previous teammates went to Bluefield, and it will be fun to go back and play with them.”
Leaving the football program will also be football coach Darrell Taylor, who recently resigned.
“Max got tremendously better as the year went along,” Taylor said. “By the end of the year, he was solid and helped us out a great deal. Max was very consistent, you knew what you would get from him from game to game.
“Kalib was ready to turn the corner before he was injured. I hated it happened, Kalib was kicking it in. Both are deserving to play college ball. They have both just scratched the surface, I think Coach Lusk has got him two good ones.”
The Rams and Coach Lusk are on the upswing.
“We are 18-8 in our last 26 games and have several returning veteran players this fall,” commented Lusk. “We should have a great opportunity to compete for an AAC championship. Quarterback Nathan Herstich returns as one of the top quarterbacks in all of NAIA. We will need to improve our running game and get more consistent play from our defense to get through our very demanding schedule and to have an opportunity at a conference championship and compete in the NAIA playoffs. You always have a chance when you have a great quarterback with experience. We should be fun to watch.”
Max parents are Miranda and Scotty Boyd. Kalib is the son of Anne and Kenny Simmons.