(COVINGTON, La.) — The first Wednesday of February was national signing day, so on Feb. 1, 2017, six St. Paul’s seniors met in the new gym to sign with four different colleges.

Four of these seniors each signed a national letter of intent, or NLI, which indicates the student athlete’s commitment to the college.

“I am always very proud of our individuals who are chosen to play college sports,” Athletic Director Craig Ketelsen said. “Besides the obvious talent, I think college coaches like the strong academics and team concept our players bring with them.”

The NLI agreement is voluntary, but if not fulfilled, it means the student-athlete would lose one season of competition in all sports if he chose to attend another university.

Out of the six seniors that signed, five plan to play football: Christian Roberts, Trey Icamina, Hayden Ocman, Bam Barriero, and T.J. Bedford. Some of the schools that athletes signed with seem to be popular choices for these seniors. Both Roberts and Icamina decided to go with Milsaps, while Rhodes College caught the attention of Ocman and Barriero. So, when these guys take the next step in their athletic careers, they can continue to be brothers in college.

Bedford, however, chose to sign with Texas State. St. Paul’s also had a skilled lacrosse player, Dylan Futrell, who signed with Birmingham Southern. These two athletes may plan to go off on their own, but will still carry the St. Paul’s spirit with them and show everyone at their colleges what St. Paul’s  athletes are made of.

These athletic signings add to the already strong numbers of collegiate athletes produced by the St. Paul’s athletic program.