Bent, fellow Bobcat athletes officially sign for next level destinies

Four Bluffton High School athletes officially made their college commitments Wednesday afternoon, including football standout Cameron Bent, who signed with UNC Charlotte. The choice was expected — Bent had previously given his verbal commitment to the Conference USA school — but it might not have been a lock until this week.

Bent — who signed at a ceremony with classmates Jabriel Robinson (football), Jaelyn Gadson (soccer) and Ashlynn Harris (soccer) — had a tough decision to make after getting a late recruiting push from Georgia Southern. Ultimately, the 6-foot, 178-pound speedster opted to stick with his original choice.

“I verbally committed a few months ago, so I was like, ‘Wow, what do I do now?’ ” he said of Georgia Southern’s pursuit. “A few days ago, I just made my decision. I’m going to stick with Charlotte. I’ve got a good relationship with the coaches, it’s about three hours away from home, I’ve got a good chance of starting. It’s just where I belong, honestly.”

And the 49ers should be excited about adding Bent, who says he projects as the No. 2 slot receiver on their roster going into next season. His freshman season will be Charlotte’s third year at the FBS level, and the up-and-coming program could find a way to quickly utilize his speed.

“Cameron has the God-given ability of speed,” Bluffton head coach Ken Cribb said. “He is the fastest kid I’ve seen in my 29 years of coaching. That takes you a lot of places and a long ways. He’s had dreams forever of going and playing college football. Cameron has a God-given ability that can take him past college, if he can stay healthy and continue to work like he’s been working, continue to grow, his future’s very bright. There’s not many people in the NFL that have Cameron’s speed.”

Cribb also had words of praise for Robinson, a 6-1, 208-pound defensive end who signed with NCAA Division II school Johnson C. Smith.

“Jabriel has worked real hard for a lot of years, but if he continues to improve as much as he has over the last two years, he’s going to play for a lot of years,” Cribb said. “He has a great frame, great size. The ceiling is very high for Jabriel.”

Robinson’s choice of schools wasn’t made until the last minute, as he weighed Johnson C. Smith and Limestone, a Division II school in Gaffney, S.C.

“It came down to a split decision this morning,” Robinson said. “That’s when I knew exactly where I was going to go. I chose Johnson C. Smith, because when I went on campus, everybody around there was so friendly, it was a friendly environment. I just felt like home.”

That home-like feeling will be enhanced knowing former Bluffton teammate Lorenz Taylor is on the Golden Bulls’ roster — and that only 8 miles separate the new campuses for Bent and Robinson.

“Jabriel told me last night, he was like, ‘We’re going to be 10 minutes away,’ ” Bent said. “It kind of excited me, because Jabriel is like my best friend. We grew up together playing football — little league and everything. That’s a good feeling, just knowing your brother is going to be 10 minutes away from you.”

Bluffton soccer stars Gadson and Harris signed with NCAA Division I programs, Gadson to Auburn and Harris to Winthrop. Bobcats coach Alyssa Gervelis was proud to witness her standouts moving on to a bigger stage.

“They’ve put a lot of hours in to perfect their craft, they’ve put a lot of hours in the classroom,” Gervelis said. “And I can say for both of them, academically and athletically, they’re role models. We’re just truly, truly happy and honored to have them on the soccer team.”

Gadson, a fleet-footed striker, will be joining an Auburn team that finished last season ranked No. 8 in the country and made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA women’s tournament.

“When I started looking into colleges, there wasn’t one place I wanted to go. I was just kind of looking everywhere,” she said. “When I started going on my visits, when I went to Auburn, I just felt a part of the family right away. It didn’t feel like they were being nice to me just because they wanted me to come play soccer for them. It felt like they liked me as a person. And so I just fell in love with the team and the coaches.”

Harris, the Bobcats’ goalkeeper, decided to stay in state. The Winthrop women’s soccer team only went 4-12 last season, but she liked what she saw from the program and the Rock Hill college’s campus.

“I’ve always wanted to play Division I sports, whatever it was, but mainly I wanted to play soccer. I love the fact that the campus is large, like a Division I school, but you can see the same face twice, and you can get an individualized education as well. But also play at a high level.”

This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Bent, fellow Bobcat athletes officially sign for next level destinies."