Hamilton has six players commit to Division 1 college football programs

This holiday season brought plenty of joy Wednesday for several Hamilton High School football players advancing toward their college dreams.

The high school’s auditorium in Chandler was filled with smiles and hugs as players, coaches, families, classmates, and administrators gathered for its Early Signing Day event on Wednesday.

Six of the Huskies committed to Division I college programs, including three who are staying home in Arizona.

Hamilton’s early commitments included safety Genesis Smith and linebacker Taye Brown becoming Arizona Wildcats, defensive lineman Chandler Davis going to Northern Arizona, offensive lineman Griffin Stalfort selecting Air Force Academy, Cooper LeDuc heading to Southern Utah, and wide receiver Tre Spivey picking Kansas State.

Spivey is going to a school that ended its regular season ranked No. 11 and with a 10-3 record in USA Today’s Top 25 poll. They will play No. 5 Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 in New Orleans.

“Just maturity, confidence, stuff like that has been helping me grow as a receiver. Not everything with a receiver is straight skill,” Spivey said about how Hamilton made him into a top recruit. “A lot of it has to do with the mental aspect of it. I think that’s the hardest part about playing receiver.”

Spivey is the son of former Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Junior Spivey, who played for the team during it’s MLB championship season in 2001 through 2003.

“It’s definitely the coaching staff and the culture they built over there. It feels like family, it feels right. They just welcomed us with open arms,” Junior Spivey told The Republic about his son choosing Kansas State.

“I just believe Coach (Thad) Ward is the best wide receiver coach out there and the best wide receiver coach for Tre as far as his development. He sees a lot in Tre and he just wants to bring the best out of him, and that’s how you want it as a parent. Someone that’s gonna challenge your child and you know they’re gonna be in good hands.”

More:A list of Arizona high school football 2023 players expected to sign early

The Huskies’ outside linebacker Alex McLaughlin was expected to commit to NAU, but didn’t officially sign with the Lumberjacks on Wednesday and remains undecided. But Davis said he’s looking forward to being in Flagstaff to play for the Lumberjacks and for his career aspirations that attracted him there.

“I’m really big into wildlife. I want to be a recreational officer when I grow up,” Davis said to The Republic. “Perfect school for me. One of my only offers, committed to it, and basically love it up there. Had the experience of a lifetime when I first went up there and its great. I’m loving it.”

Although Wednesday was Early Signing Day, Feb. 1 is considered National Signing Day, when many players will announced their college choices.

Stalfort, who plans to be a business major, added that he picked Air Force because they rush for 380 yards a game and the benefits after football. He also credited their offensive lineman coach Mark Tucker for developing him in that position.

“I started my freshman year as a quarterback, and being able to get moved to lineman, Coach Tuck helped me all the way through,” Stalfort said. “He’s honestly the best coach in the state at any position, I believe, and he turned me into the player I am now.”

Smith and Brown are going to an Arizona Wildcats team that finished at 5-7 this season, and are rebuilding under second-year head coach Jedd Fisch, who has prioritzed recruiting Arizona high school players since taking over at Arizona.

“I didn’t really commit because of him, but because I like the culture down there,” Smith said to The Republic, clarifying that he didn't make a joint decision with Brown about committing Arizona.

“I went down (to Arizona’s campus) for a couple games and the atmosphere was just amazing. I want to be a part of what Coach Fisch has.”

Early Signing Day for one of the state’s perennial football powerhouses Hamilton caps off its year that began with uncertainty about its postseason.

On Aug. 15, the AIA’s Executive Board put Hamilton on probation for a recruiting violation after citing its former defensive coordinator Tim Dougherty for the infraction. The board ruled that Hamilton was ineligible for the playoffs, but the probation was rescinded 15 days later and issued a warning instead after Hamilton removed Dougherty from its coaching staff.

Hamilton ended its season on an 8-3 record after it was the fourth seed that lost in the Open Division playoff quarterfinals to No. 5 and eventual championship runner-up Scottsdale Saguaro on Nov. 25.

The Huskies were also ranked fourth in The Republic’s final top 10 team rankings earlier this month.

“We are so proud and happy for our players opportunity to attain a great education and to play the game they love,” Hamilton head coach Mike Zdebski said to The Republic in an email.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hamilton has six players commit to Division 1 college football programs