Southern Miss offers St. Martin star running back
St. Martin rising junior running back Ham McGee was at work Thursday when he got the call informing him of his first college offer.
“I was excited, but I had to keep it cool,” McGee said Friday.
Southern Miss became the first program to offer McGee, a 5-foot-10, 196-pound athlete.
All had been quiet on the recruiting front for McGee until he got a phone call informing him of an offer from USM on Thursday.
McGee had the privilege of informing his family that night of his offer.
“They were excited, real excited,” McGee said. “Everybody thought I was too small.”
McGee was the leading rusher on a talented St. Martin offense last season. He ran 110 times for 821 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 16 passes for 144 yards and one score.
McGee has also seen time on defense, but USM likes him as a running back.
McGee has a busy summer ahead with plays to attend camps at Southern Miss, Memphis and the University of Miami.
The goal for McGee is to make sure that he's able to stay on the field longer in 2017.
“My stamina, I need to be able to stay in there the whole time,” he said. “If I run 60 yards, I need to be ready to go.”
Ham said his best 40-yard dash is at 4.59 seconds and he hopes to improve on that number.
He should have more chances with the ball in his hands this season as St. Martin moves toward a more run-oriented offense following the graduation of quarterback of Wayne Overman, who signed in February with the Air Force Academy.
McGee comes from an athletically-gifted family. Gerald, or “Cornbread” as he's known by family and friends, was a football and track standout at Gautier High School. He competed in track at Hinds Community College and Ham said his brother plans to sign with Kansas on a track scholarship.
USM has also offered St. Martin rising junior offensive tackle Brandon Cunningham, who also has offers from Memphis and Nicholls.
Patrick Magee: 228-896-2333, @Patrick_Magee
This story was originally published May 19, 2017 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Southern Miss offers St. Martin star running back."