When Ritenour football coach Hoyt Gregory went home Tuesday,, he thought his standout defensive tackle Ed Ray was going to sign with Missouri the following day.
But on Wednesday morning, Ray signed with Texas A&M instead.
"This morning, whenever he got in the car, I told him I needed his letter of intent so I could fax it," Gregory said. "He handed it to me and I looked at it. I said, 'Are you sure this is what you want to do? This is your commitment.' He said, 'Yeah, it just feels right.'"
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Ray, the No. 6 prospect in the Post-Dispatch Super 30 and the Post-Dispatch defensive player of the year, pulled off the biggest signing day surprise among St. Louis area players when he switched from the Tigers to the Aggies.
"I think all in all it's a better choice for me," Ray told KSDK (Channel 5). "It just seemed like an extended family down there. I have people that are close to my coach and close to me as well down there. It seemed like a better fit down at Texas A&M."
When he committed to Missouri in July, picking the Tigers over offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Indiana and Illinois, Ray cited the school's proximity to home and its success with defensive linemen.
A VALENTINE FOR NEBRASKA
Edwardsville senior defensive tackle Vincent Valentine made a verbal commitment to the University of Nebraska one week earlier, but he managed to keep it a secret until signing day.
The Tigers' 6-4, 317-pounder told the rest of the world during an announcement Wednesday afternoon at Edwardsville's Jon Davis Wrestling Center.
"My head was spinning the whole last week," Valentine said. "I really had to think about everything, put everything in consideration of where I wanted to be. It was very tough. My mind switched on me a couple times but it just kept going back to Nebraska, so I knew that's where I should be at."
The No. 2 prospect on the Post-Dispatch Super 30 list, Valentine had narrowed his options to three schools: Nebraska, Florida and Illinois. After making official visits to all three, he concluded that he wanted to continue his career with the Huskers.
"This decision was very tough," Valentine said. "I really liked Illinois. They were the home state. I really would love to play for them. The thing that took me to choose Nebraska was the consistency that they have. They consistently win nine, 10 games a year."
EAST ST. LOUIS QB TO JACKSON STATE
East St. Louis senior quarterback Lamontiez Ivy signed with Jackson State. East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett compared Ivy to former Alcorn State standout quarterback Steve McNair, who was a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Tennessee Titans and shared the 2003 MVP award with Peyton Manning. "He reminds me so much of the late McNair," Sunkett told the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger.
COTTON picks NORTHERN ILLINOIS
O'Fallon senior linebacker Mike Cotton made an early commitment to Indiana in June, but after the assistant coach who had been recruiting him left for another job the Hoosiers' recruiting of Cotton fell off. After looking at his options, Cotton signed with Northern Illinois.
Cotton, the No. 10 prospect in the Post-Dispatch Super 30, has the size (6-3, 220 pounds) and speed to make a major impact for the Huskies. He was a first-team All-Metro selection as a senior after making a team-high 79 tackles and five sacks and added a fumble recovery in helping O'Fallon go 10-2 and win a share of the Southwestern Conference championship.
