Coming out of high schol he was projected as an upper tier Power Five starter and a mid-late round NFL draft pick. Injuries and inconsistencies slowed him at Tennessee.

Threw for 3,500 yards and 34 TD's as a HS senior. Finished his HS career with 7,600 yards and 64 TD's. Played at West Port HS in Ocala, FL.

Over 20 FBS offers including Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Cincinnati rated #12 QB in the nation out of high school.

If we somehow keep Gipson for his last 2 years of eligibility he's gonna go from Self to Maurer. Our offense is gonna stay very explosive.

Jacks4460 said:

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110% committed 🟣⚪️ pic.twitter.com/Hx2NjKaVWx

— j.jerrell (@jjerrell4) December 12, 2021

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Also had offers from Dartmouth, Columbia, HBU, and UIW. Was First Team All-District 21-6A as a junior. (21-6A is one of the toughest 6A districts in the Houston area.)

SFAJack_76 said:

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COMMITTED!! pic.twitter.com/JZDd3ltRl7

— Ian Morgan (@Ian_Morgan73) December 12, 2021

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Had three D-II offers: Texas Wesleyan, Northwestern Oklahoma, and Howard Payne.

From Prep Redzone Texas: "Fires off the ball hard, pulls well, searches for guys to block, gets to the second level quickly. Could be a steal."

A bit of a long shot on this young man?? Trust our coaches on this one.

SFAXE93 said:

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All Glory to God! Blessed to receive an offer from Stephen F. Austin State University!🟣⚪️ Thank you to @CoachCarthel & @CoachNikNelson for visiting me in Manvel!! @coach_crumedy @jeffries_jacob @Chris_Sailer @ThePuntFactory @JoeyAllender @natec558 @hclxtreme @CoachHancockJ pic.twitter.com/6zs43jKw0l

— Brook Honoré Jr (@HonoreBrook) December 9, 2021

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One of the best punters in the country. Also has offers from Portland State, Air Force, and Army. Interest from UTSA and others. Rated as a 6-Star punter by Chris Sailer Kicking.

Jacks4460 said:

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Xavier aint goin no where... He is in the Pineywoods until he goes Pro..

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I actually am as confident as you are about that. I think backups or subs will transfer, but I think Carthel is the kind of guy that stars won't want to leave. Players who know they're gonna shine under him aren't leaving.

Offers from SFA, Lamar, Southeastern Oklahoma, ETBU

Only two more days to National Early Signing Period! December 15-17.

6-1; 210
Plays Safety/LB/RB (District Utility Player of the Year)
Offers from SFA, Abilene Christian, East Central, Notre Dame College

Should be a fun day.

👀👀👀👀 TODAY 👀👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/ejMyBWcgCW

— Derek Whoolery (@DWhoolery) December 15, 2021

“Went from 5’9” to 6’3” in a year. A physical athlete who has really dominated in both the run game and the pass game. Great upside!” #AxeEm#RaiseTheAxe https://t.co/1c90blK9fJ pic.twitter.com/Z1SIXNTVUh

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

“A long athletic DB who can play multiple spots on the back end. Really impressed our staff at camp this summer with his movement & cover skills. Has a great frame to add onto and his best football is ahead of him!”
#AxeEm #RaiseTheAxe https://t.co/Jzc62zHza3 pic.twitter.com/U4tSrTdsSn

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

“Very excited to land this young man from East Texas! Happy we are keeping Aaron close to home. He is a very versatile player, he has played safety, corner, nickel, kick returner & even QB for his high school program."#AxeEm #RaiseTheAxe https://t.co/Kwk9SREAyX pic.twitter.com/zcYKnZoDc8

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

“Really excited about Micah. He is a very explosive athlete, highly intelligent, hard working and plays with great effort. He is a raw talent that we are excited to develop into becoming the next great defensive end to come out of SFA.”#AxeEm#RaiseTheAxe https://t.co/ZSbxQFvgzz pic.twitter.com/Ra9rq4jNQB

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

“Explosive athlete who is a versatile LB & RB for a championship program. Ryan dominated at one of our DFW area camps where he earned an offer from us. He has ton of upside and will be a key player in our defense for years to come!”#AxeEm#RaiseTheAxe https://t.co/tennCQEsVW pic.twitter.com/BFapdNZAvb

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

“Tremendous player with elite speed and great vision. Excited to welcome him back home to Texas, where he belongs!”#AxeEm #RaiseTheAxe https://t.co/LDVbuCKac2 pic.twitter.com/y9Y129CEen

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

Wow, this guy is fast!

“Straight up football player, never came off the field in high school. He played multiple positions for his team & earned multiple honors at different positions. We are really excited to add Jaydon to the Lumberjack family!”#AxeEm#RaiseTheAxe https://t.co/qjkJ8Iw5zd pic.twitter.com/B5gbBf2heC

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

It's Signing Day! ✍️

Tune in to hear from @CoachCarthel on the Class of 2022 on Twitter Live at 2:30 p.m.!#AxeEm#RaiseTheAxe

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

"A dynamic 3-sport athlete that comes highly regarded out of Louisiana. His speed will give us a great mismatch opportunity down the field."#AxeEm #RaiseTheAxe https://t.co/gX1tYIHmUR pic.twitter.com/Iwt5wax2nT

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

"Quarterback with an absolute cannon for an arm. Has SEC experience and will be a great contributor for us in the future."#AxeEm#RaiseTheAxe https://t.co/FhoSQbg60u pic.twitter.com/o3LI2ocHdO

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

“A great physical back who is going to be a big contributor in the years to come.”#AxeEm #RaiseTheAxe https://t.co/pzMH7HDF06 pic.twitter.com/bunlg32kIZ

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

"Anthony is an extremely athletic big man who we got to coach multiple times in our camps. Loved the way he moves, the tenacity that he plays with, and his knack for being around the ball. He will be a dominant force to be reckoned with in our conference."#AxeEm #RaiseTheAxe https://t.co/OG2v1fS467 pic.twitter.com/hE2NzyujmR

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

QB: BRIAN MAURER 6-3; 220
RB: JOSH OGLESBY 5-9; 185
RB: JERRELL WIMBLEY 5-11; 195
WR: KYLON HARRIS 5-10; 170
OL: IAN MORGAN 6-3; 275

S: NICK HALLMON 6-0; 170
CB: AARON SEARS 5-11; 185
DT: ANTHONY JACKSON JR. 6-3; 270
DE: MICAH LEEJAY 6-3; 220
LB: RYAN WILLIAMS 6-1; 195
LB: JAYDON SOUTHARD 6-1; 200

Nice solid class of players here, with great upside and speed.

Many of these players are under the radar, as the coaching staff has done their work in evaluating skill and talent through their football camps.

Great class to build on for Feb signing day too. Carthel is gonna make some hay this year on the trail.

Excited to see who the new coaches are too.

I'm excited for the spring game. It'll be nice to see the future in action.

Tune in to hear from @coachcarthel as he talks about today's signing day! https://t.co/ZbNa5oT6zU

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

SFAXE93 said:

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Tune in to hear from @coachcarthel as he talks about today's signing day! https://t.co/ZbNa5oT6zU

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) December 15, 2021

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Some nuggets in here.

Coach Carthel seemed to be especially high on Wimbley, Williams, Harris, and Sears.

Also, assuming that Maurer will enroll in January, it will be great for him to have an entire Spring camp under his belt to start learning the offense. I'm sure Self will help him. Trey was basically injury-free this year, but there's no guarantee that that will occur again.

A side note... I thought the video was very poorly put together by SFA's A/V people.

I’m beyond blessed with this opportunity! I’m glad to announce I’m 110% commited to Stephen F. Austin State University! Thanks to @Coach_Cass for a chance not many get! @SFA_Football AXE EM’🟣⚪️🟣⚪️ @tx_guide @football_ned @CoachKirby_JN pic.twitter.com/t0FfVMtFJd

— Gatlyn Cooper (@GatlynCooper) December 22, 2021

SFAJack_76 said:

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I’m beyond blessed with this opportunity! I’m glad to announce I’m 110% commited to Stephen F. Austin State University! Thanks to @Coach_Cass for a chance not many get! @SFA_Football AXE EM’🟣⚪️🟣⚪️ @tx_guide @football_ned @CoachKirby_JN pic.twitter.com/t0FfVMtFJd

— Gatlyn Cooper (@GatlynCooper) December 22, 2021

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Dipped down to Class 3-A for this young man. 3-A All Stater.

Jim Ned did produce one of the best, considered by some to be the best Texas Longhorn QB ever.