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Rickards athletes sign to college, FAMU's Marcus Riley signs with agent ahead of NFL Draft
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- Rickards athletes sign to college, FAMU's Marcus Riley signs with agent ahead of NFL Draft
There is a strong legacy of athletics at Rickards High School .
The Raiders have produced a long line of high-level athletes who have gone on to play in college and professional sports. On Wednesday afternoon, three generations of Rickards athletes sat in the same room to further their prospective careers.
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Rickards alumni and former FAMU football player Marcus Riley signed with his agent Elton Patterson , owner of Franchise Sports Agency and a fellow Raiders alumni and NFL veteran, in preparation for this weekend's NFL Draft.
The former Rattler said being able to do that at Rickards was special.
"It's very humbling," Riley said. "To be able to come back and just see the hallways I walked in, it was a very special day to come back and talk to some of the players that had signed up to go to school."
Riley was a key member of FAMU's 2023 Celebration Bowl winning team, and his performances solidified his dreams of possibly making it to the NFL. Patterson, who represents former University of Florida and current Houston Texans player Dameon Pierce , stepped up to help Riley reach the next level.
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"It's surreal," Patterson said. "For me to go through the same hallways, the same school, and the same process to now be able to represent someone as they're trying to go to the NFL the same way I did. It's a blessing for me to be able to do that for Marcus."
Alongside the pair pursuing professional dreams were three Rickards athletes making dreams of playing college ball a reality.
Raiders football players Kenyon Garner and Judah Randall signed letters of intent to Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina and Highland Community College in Highland, Kansas respectively, with Rickard flag football star Chanel Kilpatrick signing to Pointe University in West Point, Georgia.
Patterson, Riley giving back to Rickards High School
Rickards high school athletes sign to college, FAMU's Marcus Riley signs with agent Elton Patterson ahead of NFL draft at Rickards High School on Wednesday April 24, 2024
Following Wednesday's signing event, Patterson revealed a donation to the Rickards football team of $3,013, with the dollar amount inspired by the school's 3013 Jim Lee Road address.
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Patterson made the donation to continue his efforts of giving back to the school and hopes his actions inspire future athletes to come out of Rickards.
"Giving back and donating back to the school is always a good thing," Patterson said. "I want to encourage anybody that's out there, that's an alumni or not, to just help the kids out and give back to the South side. I want to do it to motivate other people."
Riley is the first Rickards alumni to sign with Franchise Sports Agency, and he said it was an easy decision since he had known Patterson for years after he substituted at Rickards and helped coach football while Riley was a Raider.
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"I'm in the hallway substitute teaching telling him 'Hey man, if you stay on course, I'm gonna be your agent one day," Patterson said. "He's ready to go and I embrace it. Whatever he needs I'm here for him and I'm excited to see what he has going on."
The pair are hoping to get a phone call from an NFL franchise this weekend, with Riley saying he has heard from the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets .
"It was a long process," Riley said about preparing for the draft. "It actually felt longer than my freshman year to senior year, so it's gonna feel really good if I get a phone call."
Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamroone y
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Rickards high school athletes sign to college, FAMU's Marcus Riley preps for NFL Draft
