Team Detail
UGA football lands local star as preferred walk-on - ABH
Athens Academy senior offensive lineman John Ferguson was all set for National Signing Day earlier this month. He intended to sign with Furman.
But he won’t be playing college football in Greenville, South Carolina. Instead, Ferguson will remain close to home after he announced a commitment to UGA Monday via his Twitter account.
There are a few things in life too good to pass up. Three days before he planned to make his commitment to Furman official, Ferguson received a preferred walk on offer from UGA.
He quickly pulled his name from the list of Athens Academy players signing on Dec. 16. He needed to wrestle with what was being offered.
UGA was his dream school. He wanted to play in Sanford Stadium. His father, uncles and multiple cousins have attended the university just a few minutes’ drive from his house.
In the end, the dream won out over the prospect of free school and immediate playing time.
“There’s no town I’ve found that I like more than Athens,” Ferguson said. “Being from Athens and being a Georgia fan my whole life, nothing is purer than being able to say I walked out on Sanford Stadium’s field in red and black.”
Watching his players get to follow their dreams motivates Ferguson’s high school coach Josh Alexander. Ferguson is the third player from this year’s team to sign with a Power Five school.
“That’s what you want to see your players do,” Alexander said. “It's not all about the school and playing college football. When it's their dream and it's what they want to do, that’s what you want them to do. John had multiple opportunities and he chose to do that. I think it’s a great decision and he’s going to do well. He’s a big kid that I think can stand a chance of playing one day.”
Ferguson had resources in making the decision from more than his fellow Division I signee teammates Deion Colzie and Hugh Laughlin.
Ferguson’s Athens Academy teammate, Kurt Knisely, spent the 2020 season as a preferred walk-on with the Bulldogs.
He also talked with his cousin, Ed Ferguson, when trying to decide which college path he wanted to follow.
Ed was a preferred walk-on at UGA after a solid career at Athens Academy. He spent the 2018 season with the Bulldogs.
“He just said you’ve got to go in there with a chip on your shoulder and try and be the best you can be and you don’t let anyone tell you different,” Ferguson said.
The experience isn’t the only expectation Ferguson has in joining the Bulldogs. He feels at some point he could help on the field.
He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs around 275 pounds. Ferguson wants to add size and aims for an opportunity to turn heads with one of the elite programs in college football.
“I think it could be a really good change for me,” Ferguson said of the college weight room program. “If I can put on 30 more pounds of muscle, I’ll be able to compete with the best of the best on the team.”
“I think it could be a really good change for me,” Ferguson said of the college weight room program. “If I can put on 30 more pounds of muscle, I’ll be able to compete with the best of the best on the team.”
Athens Academy
Athens Academy is an independent, co-educational school for students in K3 through 12th grade, located on a beautiful 152-acre campus in Northeast Georgia. For over 50 years, Athens Academy has pursued its mission of Excellence with Honor through academics, athletics, fine arts, and service and leadership.
