It was an historic day for the Phil Campbell High School football program Friday when three Bobcat seniors put pen to paper and signed to continue their football careers at the collegiate level.
PCHS seniors Hayden Wingo, Jon Isaac Wilson, and Logan Wright were surrounded by family, friends, coaches, teachers, and classmates when they inked their names on letters of commitment to their respective programs.
“This is a big day for these guys and a big day for Phil Campbell football,” PCHS head coach Jacob Hamilton told a packed classroom where the signing ceremony was being held.
“I’ll have to go back and check with the record books, but I know this is definitely the first day in a long, long time we’ve had multiple kids with the football program that have signed to go on to the next level,” Hamilton said.
Wingo, a First Team Franklin Free Press All-County running back who rushed for over 1,000 yards for the Bobcats this past season, signed with the University of West Alabama as a preferred walk-on while Wilson and Wright—FFP All-County First Team defensive lineman and offensive lineman selections, respectively—both signed with Crown College, a Division III program in St. Bonifacius, Minn.
Hamilton said a lot of time and effort went into making sure that programs around the country saw all three players and that coaches were getting film in front of them. But there was even more strategy involved. Hamilton said the first step was getting eyes on and offers for Wright, a big and powerful offensive lineman who helped pave the way for two 1,000-yard rushers for the Bobcats during the 2024 campaign. After that, there was a domino effect.
“I knew that these guys have potential and I was excited to market them. My attitude and thought process was that there’s a lot of Division III and NAIA schools up north, not just here in the southeast, so let’s gather interest and pile up as many offers as we can and then we can dwindle them down,” he said. “The first step in the process was marketing Logan. You tell schools you’ve got a six-five, 270 (pound) lineman from Alabama, they’re extremely interested and so they started showing interest in Logan and he was getting offers every week.
“After that, you know, they’re gonna start noticing the kid running the ball behind him, so then I’d start telling them about Wingo. ‘He’s a baller, he’s our best player, and he’s very special with the ball in his hands’ and that’s when Wingo started to pick up offers,” Hamilton added. “And then, you know, schools notice that Wingo kid is good, that Wright kid’s big and they’ve got a big offensive line and so it’s really easy to see Logan at right tackle and Jon Isaac at left tackle and getting (Wilson’s) film out there. I noticed that teams that needed offensive linemen were going after both Logan and Jon Isaac, because Jon Isaac’s a big kid, too.”
Ultimately, Hamilton felt the process played out well for all three student-athletes who had multiple opportunities in front of them.
“We wanted to give these guys options to choose from and from that choose the best option for them, and I think we were able to do that,” Hamilton said.
Wingo, who rushed for over 1,300 yards, scored 15 touchdowns, and averaged 12 yards per carry his senior year with the Bobcats, chose Division II’s West Alabama in Livingston. The Tigers, members of the Gulf South Conference, are led by new head coach Scott Cochran, who was a member of national championship-winning staffs with Nick Saban at Alabama and Kirby Smart at Georgia before taking over the role at UWA. The staff hires that Cochran has made in his short time there have also generated waves, adding many household names familiar to football fans in Alabama.
Wingo said the opportunity to join West Alabama is a special one for him and his family, and he’s excited to get to work with Cochran as his coach.
“My dad went to West Alabama, so getting to sign with West Alabama, it means a lot,” he said. “It’s amazing. It’s exciting. (Cochran) has coached at Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and now at West Alabama he’s bringing the whole package with him. Getting to play for him and some of the players he’s coached, it’s amazing.”
As a preferred walk-on Wingo’s spot on the roster is assured. It’s not a scholarship, but there’s plenty of time to earn one should Wingo continue to work hard and prove it to his coaches. In Hamilton’s mind, there’s no doubt Wingo will put out the effort and do whatever he needs to to help his new team.
“He’s earned his spot on the team and it’s a win-win for him and it’s a win-win for them. He’s worth taking the chance on and I told (UWA) that,” Hamilton said. “I told Coach Cochran, look, he’s gifted with the ball in his hands, he’s a great player, but the most important thing is he’ll do whatever you need. You can develop him into whatever he needs to be…but the main thing is he’s somebody that you want in your locker room. He’s a great, great guy. He’s a team player who’s gonna do whatever he needs to do to help the team be successful.”
Wingo, who plans to study sports management and become a football coach one day, is looking forward to hitting campus and ready to grow—and not just as a football player.
“I want to take my leadership ability with me and work hard and I’m gonna grow as a person there, too,” he said.
Wright and Wilson both decided on Crown College, nearly 1,000 miles as the crow flies from Phil Campbell. On signing day the pair both admitted that the scenario was a bit surreal. Not even the car ride to Minnesota seemed as long as the odds that the pair would be playing college football.
Wright just didn’t see it in the cards.
“A couple of years ago my dad was telling me I should try to be a college football player and I was like, ‘There’s absolutely no chance,’” Wright said. “But, you know, somehow it happened. It means a lot. I think I’m the first person in my family to ever play college sports.”
Wilson nearly quit the sport altogether. That’s how far away he felt from this opportunity. Multiple injuries kept him off the field physically—and down mentally, too. He credits his coaches for always believing in him and keeping him in the game.
“I wanna shout out my offensive line coach Darby Allison and my D-line coach Trevor Allison: They really helped me,” Wilson said. “They pushed me every day. I’d be getting bullied and getting my tail kicked and they would be like, ‘You gotta get back up. You gotta get back up.’ That’s the reason I’m here and I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for them.
“I thought about quitting football at one point. I was starting on varsity my 10th grade year and I got hurt—broke my femur. After that injury Coach Hamilton came in and started coaching and I told him, ‘Coach, I don’t know if I can play anymore,’” he added. “The injury really had me down. I was out for six months, couldn’t play, couldn’t even walk, but he just kept pushing me. I didn’t quit.
“Then the next year, my junior year, I faced adversity again—tore some ligaments in my knee. In my head at the time I was like, ‘I don’t know if this is gonna work out.’ What if I get hurt again? What if I do this or what if I do that? Coach Hamilton told me, ‘Son, if you live your whole life on what-ifs, you’ll never get anywhere.’ He took my mindset to a whole different level than I ever thought it could be. I took all that into consideration and I didn’t quit. It’s worked out for me, so I know now when you face adversity you gotta punch it right back.”
As mentioned previously, the journey to St. Bonifacius is no leisurely Sunday stroll. It’s a major move, without doubt. The two big men admitted that the change makes them a little nervous. Wilson said he’s never been that far away from his family for as long as he will be when he moves, and Wright said it’ll definitely be a change of scenery from his lifelong home in Franklin County. At the same time, though, they’re both excited about the opportunity to get outside their comfort zone and further their education.
“I’ve lived in Phil Campbell my whole life…so I’m a little nervous, but I’m also excited to go off somewhere else and try something different. I’m looking forward to it,” Wright said.
“If moving 15 hours away means bettering my future and my family’s future, that’s what I’m gonna do, you know?” said Wilson, who wants to study business administration with an eye towards being a project manager in construction.
Easing that transition, too, will be the atmosphere around the program. A big selling point for the lineman duo was the “family feel” of the school.
And if nothing else is that there will always be a reminder of their hometown in the form of each other.
“Logan is one of my best friends and we’ve been friends for a long time,” Wilson said. “I’m not gonna lie; one of the major reasons for me going there was Logan and because I know Logan. I’m sure it’ll help me to not miss home so bad.”
Wright concurred:
“It’s a long way away, but having Jon Isaac up there with me, it’s gonna be awesome,” he said.
Signing with their respective new programs is a life changer for the three Bobcat student-athletes. The paths of each will all be different in their own ways, but Hamilton’s final piece of advice to his now-former players was to always remember where they started, who they represent, and how they can inspire.
“Remember that the work isn’t done; this is just the beginning,” he said. “Never forget where you’re from and never forget what got you to where you are. Continue to work and honor your teammates and always remember that you’re representing more than just yourself. You’re representing your school and your family and your community.
“I’m really proud of these guys and how hard they’ve worked. It’s a historic day, but I think there’s more to come. This is just the beginning,” Hamilton added. “It’s great for the program and we hope to continue in the years to come having guys going into college and showing that we’ve got some good football players coming out of Phil Campbell, Alabama.”
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