Piedmont, AL – After a flurry of late arriving offers, Piedmont receiver raised around signing-day glories sees his own day arrive, signs with West Georgia
By Al Muskewitz
One of Thomas Propst’s fondest memories growing up in a football coach’s family was the annual rite of winter known as National Signing Day. Every year, he couldn’t wait to watch the elite players – 255 of them total – on his father’s teams parade to the front of the room in all those brightly colored ball caps and sign with all those different programs across the country. And with every stroke of the pen back then, he couldn’t wait to be one of those guys.
“It was cool seeing everybody else sign, put in the work and have the outcome of it, seeing where football has taken them and getting the chance to go play at the next level,” the Piedmont receiver said. “I said to myself I wanted to do that when I got older. That was probably eighth, ninth grade and I worked my butt off to make that happen.” Propst’s day finally arrived Wednesday when he signed his own scholarship with the University of West Georgia. He said it felt even “more special” than the way he felt watching the players he looked up to so many years ago.
That would make him the 256th player his father, legendary high school coach Rush Propst, has had a direct hand in sending to the next level. For all the players Papa Propst has sent to the next level, because it was his son, this one was the most gratifying. “He’s grown up going to signing days,” said Rush, reminiscing about signing days past. “He’s been around a lot of those kids down to the wire. He’s heard all those phone calls of a Monday night kid committing to Kentucky, and then he flips to LSU 36 hours later. I’ve seen some crazy things over the years.”
It may be a straight shot from Piedmont to Carrollton, Ga., but Thomas Propst’s road to West Georgia has been a winding one, fraught with injuries that almost kept his college dream from happening. Propst transferred into the Piedmont program two years ago and developed into a smart, reliable inside receiver. He started out as a special teamer and holder, but was never quite 100 percent after breaking his right foot as a sophomore in Georgia. [read more…]
