ROCKINGHAM — The futures of four Richmond Senior High School student-athletes were celebrated last week.
Four members of the Raider football program held a signing day ceremony in the school’s media center last Monday to kickoff their college careers.
All seniors, a trio of defensive players — Jamison Jones, Jacoby Martin and Marquan Martin — and one offensive player — Jaliel Green — were celebrated by family members, teammates, classmates and members of the community.
All multi-year varsity starters for the Raiders, Green, Jones and Jacoby Martin were All-Conference selections following their senior season in 2023.
Jacoby Martin, a defensive end, was the only player who previously announced his verbal commitment to signing as a preferred walk-on at East Carolina University.
Making their announcements the same day as their signing, Green will play running back at Guilford College. Jones and Marquan Martin will continue to be teammates as defensive backs at Ferrum College.
Green, Jones and Marquan Martin will all compete within the same Division III conference, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Jacoby Martin will join former teammate and fellow defensive lineman J.D. Lampley in Greenville.
While all four played under former head coach Bryan Till, leading the signing day ceremony was newly hired head coach Brad Denson.
Jaliel Green, Guilford College
As a senior, Green fulfilled the No. 1 running back position for the Raiders. He rushed for 1,065 yards on the ground on 178 attempts (5.98 yards per carry). He also averaged 96.8 yards per game with 11 touchdowns.
He eclipsed the 100-yard mark four times his senior season against Hoke County (135), Union Pines (127), Lee County (152) and Scotland (154). Green registered three two-touchdown games.
Green will join the Guilford football program, which went 2-8 in 2023. The Quakers are coached by Brad Davis.
“It feels great knowing I’ve got another chance to play football,” Green said. “I’m ready to go there, be great and do what I have to do. Everything from going up there on visits, the atmosphere, the coaches, the little things — I’m going to be there for four years so I wanted to make sure it’s somewhere I wanted to be.
“It can be irritating because sometimes you never really know,” he added of the recruiting process. “Somebody is going to recruit you if you put the work in.
“I hope to have a big impact and go up there and work as hard as I can. I want to be able to run the ball like I’ve been able to at Richmond. I’m going to carry the same skill set and get my work done in the classroom.”
Green also thanked his dad and his uncles for working with him on the field and the weight room, his mom for motivating him and “anyone who helped me in school.”
Jamison Jones, Ferrum College
A hard-hitting defensive back, Jones played three years of varsity football and proved to be one of the region’s best open-field tacklers. He ended the season fourth on the team with 57 tackles, an average of 5.2 tackles per game.
Fast off the line, Jones accumulated 10 tackles-for-loss last fall, the third highest number on the team, which was also ranked in the top-10 of the conference. In games against Myers Park, Hoke County and Scotland, Jones recorded 2 tackles-for-loss.
Against Scotland, his 10 tackles were his most in a game his senior season. Jones also knocked away six passes (team-hight) and recovered one fumble against Union Pines.
Ferrum College, nestled between Roanoke, Va., and the North Carolina state line, saw its football program go 3-7 in 2023. The Panthers are coached by Kevin Sherman.
“It feels good, it’s not stressful anymore,” Jones said. “I made my decision, I’m happy with it and I’m ready to go play. The coaching staff showed me a lot of love from the first day they started recruiting me.
“The (recruiting process) was kind of hard, but it got easier once the season got started. I want to be a player who is always hard working.
“When I think of the Raider diamond, I think about straight work,” he added. “I want to thank Coach Campo (Chris Campolieta), my favorite coach, and my parents and family.”
Jacoby Martin, East Carolina University
A senior season that was a rollercoaster ride started with Martin sidelined with an Achilles rupture. During Richmond’s sixth game of the season, he returned to action and went on to make his third All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team.
Lining up in the trenches for the Raiders’ final six games, Martin recorded 19 tackles (3.2 tackles per game). Of those 19 tackles, 9.0 of them went for a loss, also placing him in the top 10 in the SAC.
In a win over Lee County, Martin had a season-high six tackles. Against Hoke County in his second game back, he had 4.0 TFL, including two quarterback sacks. He ranked fifth in the conference with four sacks and also recorded a safety against Union Pines.
Set to hit the Division I circuit, Martin will fight for playing time as a PWO with the Pirates. In 2023, ECU went 2-10 under head coach Mike Houston.
“It feels great to officially sign, it’s a relief off my chest,” Martin shared. “I chose ECU mostly because of the program and I knew people up there. Coach (Roy) Tesh was constantly keeping in touch with me and I really liked the community there. It’s a lot like Richmond.
“The recruiting process was one of the toughest things I’ve encountered. It was just long and you never know what’s coming next.
“I hope I have a great impact on the people coming up behind me,” he continued. “Richmond taught me work ethic, we really work down here. It’s prepared me to play in a good physical conference.”
Martin thanked “God first, my coaches, my mom especially, and anyone who has helped me along the way.”
Marquan Martin, Ferrum College
Just missing out on making the All-SAC team, Martin was a pivotal piece to Richmond’s secondary. When he wasn’t playing as a defensive back, he helped bolster the Raiders’ linebacking corps.
Playing in just eight games for Richmond this past fall, Martin racked up 20 total tackles (2.5 per game), including 15 solo drag downs. He defended three passes and lined up opposite of Jones, making things difficult for opposing wide receivers.
In the Raiders’ season opener against Seventy-First, Martin tallied a season-high eight tackles, six of which were by himself in open space.
Like Jones, Martin will make the trip north to southern Virginia to compete with the Ferrum Panthers.
“It feels good,” Martin shared. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do, go to college and play at the next level. Choosing (Ferrum) was a little bit of everything — the coaching staff, the program is awesome. It feels like home, it feels like Richmond.
“When I get older, I want the people who are playing at Richmond right now to look back on what I did and see that they can make it just like I did,” he added of the impact he hopes to make. “I never gave up when times got hard and (Richmond’s) coaches got on me when I messed up and made me better.
“I want to thank God, my mom and dad, and any coach who has ever coached me.”
Sports editor’s note: The Richmond Observer would like to thank the RSHS annual staff and adviser Ashleigh Buie for their contributions of photos to this article. Also junior Kylie Hood helped conduct the interviews with the four signees and Denson.
