Refugio's Jordan Kelley signs to play college football at Columbia University in New York
REFUGIO –– Columbia University recognizes talent, even if it’s 1,800 miles away.
Refugio senior Jordan Kelley was invited by the Ivy League school in New York City for a visit in January, and the lone trip was enough for Kelley to decide where he wanted to spend the next four years of his life.
"It's a life changing deal," Kelley said. "I knew high school football was going to end one day so I needed a back up plan. I feel like getting a degree at Columbia is not only going to set me up now, but for a lifetime."
Friends, family and coaches were on hand at the Little Brit of Heaven in downtown Refugio to celebrate Kelley as he signed his letter-of-intent to the Lions on Wednesday.
Kelley, who joins a long list of successful Refugio athletes, is the first athlete under head football coach Jason Herring to sign with an Ivy League school.
"A lot of people think it's different than a big Division I school but it's really not," Kelley said. "The competition is going to be a lot better than high school, so I'm going to go in working hard."
Kelley was a standout athlete during his four years with the Bobcats, excelling in football, basketball, track, baseball and in the classroom.
Kelley earned all-state honors in all four sports and maintained a 4.0 grade-point average.
Kelley said playing four sports for four years will help him adjust to the college level and the different scenery of living in Refugio to a city with more than eight million people.
"These past four years I've been managing my time playing four sports and that's going to help me when I go to college," Kelley said. "It's going to be a change, but everything is close together and it will be easy to adapt to."
Kelley always dreamed of playing Division I football ever since he was young. He made his case during his four years and capped off his senior season catching 50 passes for 1,015 yards and 19 touchdowns on offense and totaling 71 tackles with 21 tackles for loss on defense.
Kelley was a first-team selection on the All-South Texas football team as a utility player and concludes his high school career as a state champion (2019).
"Jordan is an unbelievable young man," Herring said. "You get special athletes, but rarely do you get a special athlete and student all in one. Jordan has been the poster child for doing things right. He's been the hardest worker, he's been a leader and he's been a stud on and off the field. He's a great example and role model for what we want our Refugio Bobcats to be.
"Columbia got a dynamic steal and a heck of a football player," Herring added. "It's a great school and a very good program in the Ivy League. They got a gem and he's going to be able to help them immediately."
Kelley had five Division I offers and two Division II offers, but Columbia had the biggest impact with the presence of head coach Al Bagnoli, who is the winningest-coach at the FCS level.
Kelley said he plans to continue playing wide receiver for the Lions and plans to major in business management.
"It's a been a blessing watching him grow up and compete from pee wee to senior year," Kelley's father John Kelley said. "Just to have this opportunity is amazing and we're just blessed. We told him wherever he wanted to go, we were going to make it work. Whether it was West Texas, East or New York, we were going to make it work."
Refugio's Antwaan Gross headed to UT-Permian Basin
Refugio senior Antwaan Gross never lost sight of his goals despite transferring from Ingleside to Refugio as a sophomore.
Gross quickly adapted at the wide receiver and defensive back position, concluding his first season with the Bobcats as a state champion.
"Antwaan came to us from Ingleside as a sophomore and immediately made a huge impact," said Refugio coach Jason Herring. "We put him on the opposite of Jordan (Kelley) on the field and the next thing you know, we're 16-0 and we win state. Of course we had Austin (Ochoa), Ysidro (Mascorro) and Mikey (Firova) and an outstanding football team, but Antwaan was special out wide. It was hard for defenses to focus on him and Jordan. Antwaan made a huge impact from Day 1."
Gross said his reason for choosing UTPB was the team's up and coming football program.
Gross also enjoyed his visit when he met with coaches and got to see the campus and its facilities.
"After I saw everything, I loved everything about it. It felt like home over there," Gross said. "I had never been to Odessa and the program is up and coming. I want to be a part of the team that helps them get better and have a better season."
Gross said he plans to play wide receiver with the Falcons.
Gross hopes to continue where he left off as a senior after helping Refugio advance to the regional semifinals with a 13-1 record and securing 40 catches for 685 yards and 12 touchdowns.
"It feels good," Gross said. "All the summer workouts, blood sweat and tears. When I wanted to quit I kept going. When I got here my sophomore year it was a dream. Now it's a reality."
More: National Signing Day: Here is where Corpus Christi and Coastal Bend athletes will sign
Rey Castillo is a sports reporter for the Caller-Times and a graduate of Texas A&M-Kingsville. He may be reached at rey.castillo@caller.com or on Twitter @reycastillo361
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Refugio's Jordan Kelley signs to play college football at Columbia
