Appleton signs with UNA
Hartselle High School senior Jared Appleton is joined by his parents on Thursday for the signing of a letter of intent to play football for the University of North Alabama. Seated with him are his parents, Tommy and Nerissa Legg Appleton. | Clif Knight
Hartselle High School senior Jared Appleton reaped the reward of perseverance and hard work on the football field by earning a grant-in-aid to play at the college level.
The 6-5, 320-pound offensive lineman signed a scholarship with the University of North Alabama on Thursday.
The occasion was highlighted by a signing party conducted in the school cafeteria and attended by his family, coaches and teammates.
Appleton played varsity football for four years but didn’t earn a starting position at right guard until his senior year.
“I improved a lot as a player from my junior to senior year,” he said. “This year was a good year for me.”
Appleton said UNA was his school of choice because of its strong academic program and its history of fielding a winning football team. He will enroll next fall and study criminology.
Appleton thanked his coaches and teammates for their encouragement and support.
“I couldn’t have done it without them,” he pointed out.
“He has worked very hard for the last couple of years and really played well last season,” said Chad Gladden, offensive line coach. “He has a great work ethic. He did what we asked him to so and it paid off.”
Head coach Bob Godsey said Appleton showed steady improvement throughout his senior season and graded out above 90 percent in every game he played.
“This just didn’t happen for Jared,” Godsey added. “It took a lot of perseverance and hard work on his part.”
“I think every kid who loves football grows up dreaming of playing at the next level,” Godsey stated. “But is hard to achieve that goal. And anytime you have someone like Jared step up to the next level, it’s an incentive for the younger players to work hard to improve their game.
“Jared is just 17 years old,” Godsey said. “His best years as a football player are ahead of him.”
Appleton is the son of Tommy and Nerissa Legg Appleton of Hartselle. His mother is a 1983 graduate of Hartselle High School and his father graduated from Athens High School.
