By Morgan Bryce

Associate Editor

In a Twitter post Wednesday, Opelika High School senior quarterback Cade Blackmon announced that he has committed to play football next fall at Samford University in Birmingham.

Cade, son of former Opelika coach Brian Blackmon, overcame an injury-filled junior campaign to play in eight games to complete 67 percent of his passes and guide the Bulldogs to a 9-4 overall record and third-round appearance in the AHSAA 6A state playoffs.

“To say I am blessed is an understatement. Without my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I am nothing,” Blackmon said in the post. “I’d like to thank my family, especially mom and dad, for pushing me to be my best and instilling in me the value of hard work, honesty, and integrity. To my coaches, teammates and friends, thank you guys for holding me accountable and accepting nothing less than my best. Opelika is and will always be my home and a piece of who I am. ‘Once a dawg always a dawg’ and with that said, I am honored to say that I am 110% committed to Samford University!”

Samford, an FCS program and member of the Southern Conference, posted an 8-4 record in 2017. Under fourth year head coach Chris Hatcher, the Bulldogs have a 21-14 the last three seasons, including back-to-back appearances in the first round of the FCS playoffs.

Opelika will open with two-straight road games at Callaway and Auburn to start the season, before making their home debut against new region rival Selma.

For more information, visit www.opelikaathletics.com.