FOLEY — Despite some dramatics, Perry Thompson is an Auburn Tiger and Logan Joellenbeck is a South Alabama Jaguar after they penned commitments during a Wednesday ceremony as part of Early Signing Day.

After Joellenbeck kicked off the festivities by cementing the pledge he made over the summer, it was Thompson’s turn where he had hats from both Iron Bowl teams awaiting to be picked. Thompson originally committed to Alabama before his junior season then flipped his commitment this summer before his senior year. Still, rumors remained he’d flip back to the Crimson Tide.

Wearing his Under Armour All-American jacket, all buttoned up, he started his statement by thanking those in attendance and his coaches for helping him get to that point. Then he said, “for the next three or four years, I’ll be taking my talents to,” and paused.

Although he initially picked up the orange Auburn cap, he quickly traded it for the crimson Alabama hat only to throw that one to the side. With an unbuttoning of his jacket, an Auburn jersey was revealed and the packed library let out cheers.

.@fhsperryt1 is officially headed to The Plains! He chooses Auburn over Alabama and pens his commitment on Early Signing Day, stay tuned for more! #ALHSFB pic.twitter.com/Ki69DMylvb

— Gulf Coast Media Sports (@GCMSportsAL) December 20, 2023

Thompson’s recruiting roller coaster finds its destination

He then returned the Auburn hat atop his head and put pen to paper to finally close his recruiting roller coaster following some loop-the-loops.

“It was crazy, my mind was just going through and thinking about this whole recruiting process,” Thompson said of his mindset during the hat dance. “I felt like I made a good decision.”

With dozens packed into the library of Foley High School, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound receiver was happy to have so many familiar faces in the crowd.

“Support was crazy, I didn’t expect this many people to come out but I was glad to have family and friends make it out today,” Thompson said. “Feels amazing.”

Joellenbeck becomes newest Jaguar

As an added benefit, he got to share the spotlight with a longtime teammate in Joellenbeck.

“Pretty cool, felt good to see my guy sign too,” Thompson said. “We’re all out here achieving our dreams.”

The 6-foot-6, 325-pound lineman shared the sentiment.

“We grew up together so there’s nobody else I’d rather have by my side committing to college with me,” Joellenbeck said. “I love every single person in here, I thank them a lot for supporting me and Perry and supporting Foley football in general. It’s great witnessing how much Foley has changed.”

However, it wasn’t long ago that Joellenbeck wasn’t sure he’d be at a table like that on Wednesday. When asked if he saw himself there as a freshman, he provided a certain, “No I did not.”

“It was a very slow process for the recruiting so when junior year started hitting, more colleges were talking to me and I could see myself potentially going D1 and thank God senior year it happened,” Joellenbeck said. “It’s amazing, the day has come so that’s great. It’s a blessing for sure, getting a Division I scholarship isn’t the easiest thing to do so to get it done today is amazing.”

Both aren’t going too far away

And while both are ascending to the top level of college football, they’re both remaining at in-state schools where Foley head football coach Deric Scott was excited to still see them play in person.

“Love the fact that they’re in state so we’ll get a chance to watch them play on Saturdays but they also get to represent this great state of Alabama,” Scott said. “It’s tremendous for Foley football. The opportunity for two outstanding players to get an opportunity to further their athletic endeavor in the game of football makes us excited.”

The number of supporters in the library further emphasized that thought.

“It’s a testament to the amount of people that are invested in and cared and loved and have a fondness for these young men,” Scott said.

Money quotes

“I feel good, just ready to start my next chapter,” Thompson said.

“Heartwarming, they were all welcoming,” Joellenbeck said of communication from other South Alabama signees. “I got a lot of messages this morning, they were thanking me and telling me it’s going to be a fun journey.”

“Just an outstanding day for Foley High School and the City of Foley to have some guys that are playing at the Division-I level again, where we all know Foley has that type of talent,” Scott said.