Central football's Flye-Sadler signs with Austin Peay

Central coach Nathan Norman spoke all season about his players' improvement, and he wasn't about to stop on Wednesday.

In front of a handful of family, friends and coaches, senior offensive tackle Jaylen Flye-Sadler signed a National Letter of Intent at Central High School to continue his football career with Austin Peay.

"It's a great moment for Jaylen and his family and for Cape Central football," Norman said. "Any time you have a young man who gets his college tuition paid for with his athletic ability and his hard work he puts in, that's tremendous. He was a critical part of our team this year, a great leader physically and emotionally. He was a great practice player. I can't say enough about him. We're going to miss him, and I'm just happy for him and his family. ... Our proudest moment is to see a kid change from his freshman year to his senior year, and he's a great example of that."

Flye-Sadler chose the Governors despite interest from several other schools, including Central Methodist, Southeast Missouri State and Oklahoma Baptist.

"It was family around there. I could relate to the coaches and players a lot, and I've always wanted to play at a high level," Flye-Sadler said. "I think red and black don't look too bad on me."

At 6-foot-7, 310 pounds, Flye-Sadler anchored an offensive line that helped the Tigers gain 4,063 rushing yards last season, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Central wrapped up its historic campaign with a 12-3 record and was runner-up in Class 4.

Flye-Sadler earned second team all-state honors by the Missouri Football Coaches Association. He said the Govs' coaching staff has plans to continue using him as an offensive tackle.

"This has been a dream of mine for the longest time," Flye-Sadler said. "I've had plenty of people alongside with me, and I feel as if this is a dream come true."

APSU just completed its second season under the direction of coach Kirby Cannon. The Govs went 1-11 but ended an 18-game losing streak on Oct. 18 with a 20-13 home win over Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State. Flye-Sadler believes Cannon is well on his way toward bringing success back to APSU football.

"He's a pretty good guy," Flye-Sadler said about Cannon. "I'm sure he's going to turn the program upside down into a winning program, and I'm just glad to be a part of it."

Flye-Sadler said he's physically prepared to compete for the Govs but understands he will face plenty of challenges in adapting to a new system, especially at the college level.

"To me, the visit was the final touches on my commitment," Flye-Sadler said. "I knew I wanted to go there after I had visited there. I just loved the campus, and I want to get a quality education and play a high level of football. So that fulfills everything."