Jacksonville, AL – After coaching change altered plans to sign with Troy, Jacksonville’s 9,000-yard passer signs with Louisiana-Monroe.
By Joe Medley
Jim Ogle was on his way to Troy for an official visit two weeks ago, had just passed Oxford, when his cell phone rang.
“It’s really crazy,” Ogle said. “I’d been committed since April, and literally. I was on the way to Troy for my official visit … and they called me and said, ‘Wait, we don’t know if we’re going to have a head coach.’”
Ogle turned around and started a two-week journey of reopening his recruiting. That journey ended on Wednesday’s start to the early signing period, when Ogle signed with Louisiana-Monroe.
He committed to Troy in April, but Troy coach Jon Sumrall left to become Tulane’s head coach. Troy hired Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerard Parker.
Ogle announced his commitment switch to Louisiana-Monroe via social media on Tuesday.
The move put Ogle with ULM coach Brian Vincent, who had offered Ogle at UAB and New Mexico. Vincent was offensive coordinator then interim head coach at UAB from 2018-22 then New Mexico’s offensive coordinator in 2023.
“I called him, and we talked a little bit, and got set up to go on an official visit down there this past weekend,” Ogle said. “I fell in love with the place, and that relationship got back together with Coach Vincent, and that was really it.”
Ogle called the two week stretch between commitments “lots of stress.”
“Just not knowing and knew that the time as coming soon for signing day,” Ogle said. “God’s got a plan for everybody, and it all worked out the way it should, and I’m ready to get down there and get to work.”
Ogle will depart Thursday and enroll early.
He finished his high school career with 9,089 career passing yards and 107 touchdown passes. As a senior, he completed 210 of 311 passes for 3,095 yards and 44 touchdowns with six interceptions.
Jacksonville offensive coordinator Jamison Edwards said Ogle “feels like a member of my family. Edwards knew Ogle would be special.
“I always try to go to one of the older youth-league games around here, and I think he was in the fifth grade,” Edwards said. “I watched one of them, and … he threw a fade ball. It was like, ‘He throws a better ball than any quarterback I have right now that’s on our varsity team.
“I went home and told my wife, ‘There’s a kid, and I think he’s going to be really, really special.”
