JACKSON'S DANIEL, GOODSON TO SIGN TODAY WITH SEMO

JACKSON, Mo. -- Jackson's Ray Goodson and Caleb Daniel will be signing letters of intent today to play football at Southeast Missouri State University.

Today is the first day of the national signing period.

Goodson, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound tight end, is one of the area's premier athletes. He runs the 40-yard dash in the 4.5-second range and is currently 35-0 as an Indian wrestler. Goodson, who split time at tight end and wide receiver last year, had some offers from other NCAA Division-IA schools, but chose Southeast. He said he'll play tight end.

Last year, Goodson caught 27 passes for 624 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 23 yards per catch and 69.3 yards per game.

Goodson said the coaching staff, headed by Tim Billings, was the biggest reason he chose Southeast.

"They were more personal than everyone else was," Goodson said. "And here, I know I'll have a chance to play early."

Goodson also said the thought of playing close to home and close to his family was appealing.

"Right now, he's staying at 215 pounds because of his wrestling," Jackson coach Carl Gross said. "But he'll get stronger and bigger and probably end up being a 230 to 240 pound receiver for them. He's got great toughness and endurance and is very versatile."

As for Daniel, his size and raw ability no doubt impressed Southeast. Daniel didn't play football until his sophomore year of high school.

"He's green," said Gross. "He knows it and we know it. But every day during practice last year he became more and more dominant. He's 6-foot-6, 250 pounds and he runs like a deer. It's just phenomenal that he can be that big and that mobile.

"Both of these guys flirted with the idea of going away to school. But coach Billings let them know that they're two very good players from the area and he wanted to keep them in the area. And both these guys like the direction that the program is going and they want to be a part of it."

Whitney drawing interest

Jackson junior running back Mario Whitney is being recruited heavily by the University of Missouri, although the Tigers have received a verbal commitment from one of the nation's top recruits, Damien Nash, out of East St. Louis.

Whitney, who has also caught the eye of Wisconsin and some big-time programs with his 4.4 speed, is arguably the fastest athlete in the state as he took third behind two seniors in the 100-meter dash last year as a sophomore.

Whitney, though, will not run track this year as he has decided to play baseball for the Indians. Whitney played junior legion baseball last summer and was one of the best young players in the region.