Friends and family filled the arena at Portal Middle High School on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, to witness two young men take steps toward achieving their dream of playing collegiate football.
Portal seniors Elijah Coleman and Liam Fordham both signed letters of intent to play for the Georgia Military College Bulldogs. Both players were big contributors to the Panthers' first region championship this past season. Both Coleman and Fordham spent all of their high school career with the Portal Panthers.
Portal Football Head Coach, Jason McEachin, gave a few words about his players.
"They've given themselves this opportunity," McEachin said. "They've made themselves recruitable by locking in inside the classroom and on the field."
He also spoke on the selflessness of his two players. Both Coleman and Fordham spent a lot of time at positions that they did not initially want to play.
"Elijah loves running routes and catching the football, but it was better for the team for him to be the starting quarterback," McEachin said. "Liam did not love the blocking aspect of playing offensive line, but the team needed him to anchor us and help us win games. He showed up everyday and went to work."
Another perspective to these signings that people do not often see, is that of a parent. Four parents were in attendance to see their sons sign to Georgia Military College.
"I can't even put into words how proud I am of him," Jennifer Fordham, Liam's mother said. "A lot of little boys dream of this, but his dream is coming true. It's just amazing watching it all unfold."
Elijah's parents also expressed excitement and pride in their son. "We are very proud of our boy and very excited for what's next," Reneisha Coleman, Elijah's mother said.
Georgia Military College is a junior college in Milledgeville, Georgia. The football program is very successful when it comes to developing players and getting them where they want to be. Georgia Military College has 50 alumni that ended up playing in the NFL along with hundreds of players that went on to play division 1 football.
Both Coleman and Fordham felt like Georgia Military College was the best place to reach future goals for their careers.
"I felt like I was getting overlooked by a lot of schools," Elijah Coleman said. "I feel like going to Georgia Military, getting the opportunity to showcase my talent again at a new position to give me a chance to go to a higher level college at the position I want to be at."
Fordham likes the junior college route better than going to a smaller school. "I want to go to GMC, get big, gain weight, get film out and transfer in 6 months," Liam Fordham said.
Career Stats and Accolades
Elijah Coleman (Quarterback/Running Back/Wide Receiver)
- 2767 Passing Yards
- 26 Passing Touchdowns
- 2383 Rushing Yards
- 34 Rushing Touchdowns
Liam Fordham (Linebacker/Defensive Lineman/Offensive Lineman)
- 162 Total Tackles
- 13 Tackles for Loss
- 15 Qb Hurries
- 4.5 Sacks
- 2 Forced Fumbles
- 2 Fumble Recoveries
Both players were named to the all-region team multiple times.