Winter Signing Ceremony

Jesuit High School hosted an intimate and special Signing Day Ceremony for three student-athletes on Wednesday (Feb. 2) morning Faber Hall adjacent to the Tiger Palace.  

Lawson McLeod (Columbia, track & field), Gozy Okeke (West Florida, football), and Wayne Quin (Florida A&M, football) – signed their National Letters of Intents with the school of their choice in front of family, friends, coaches, and teammates.

Jesuit president Fr. Richard C. Hermes and athletic director Terry Rupp ’84 addressed the students before they made their commitments official, encouraging them to lean on the knowledge gained from their academic and athletic experiences as Tigers as they transition to college and beyond.

McLeod, an elite national-level triathlete, has been a pivotal distance runner for the Jesuit track & field and cross country programs dating back to his freshman season. He will head to New York City and the Ivy League and join the distance running program at Columbia under head coach Daniel Ireland. In seven seasons with the Lions, Ireland’s program has produced 19 NCAA All-Americans.

Okeke started at right tackle for the State Champion Tigers this fall, contributing to an offensive line that helped Jesuit achieve a balanced 2,434 yards rushing and 2,767 yards passing while finishing second on the team with 14 pancake blocks. Okeke joins a West Florida program that has risen to prominence under head coach Pete Shinnick, winning the Division II National Championship in 2019 in the program’s fourth season of existence.

Quin excelled at outside linebacker for the State Champions this fall, leading the Tigers in sacks (10) and tackles for loss (14), one of which came on a crucial fourth-and-goal from inside the 1-yard-line in the State Championship game. Quin will join wide receiver Christian Jones ’20 at Florida A&M. The Rattlers posted a 9-3 season in 2021 under fourth-year coach Willie Simmons.

This was the third of four college signing ceremonies scheduled at Jesuit this school year. The last will take place on April 13. Each year, 20-30 Jesuit student-athletes sign to participate in college athletics.

Please see below a video from Wednesday's signing ceremony, and below that is a photo slideshow.