Edna junior makes commitment

    EHS Wide Receiver Marquis Bates was presented with a rare opportunity. He recently made a verbal commitment to Texas State University in San Marcos where he will receive a football scholarship.
    The Edna High School junior is looking forward to playing football as a Bobcat. Bates said he wants to become a better wide receiver and become a better leader throughout his senior year at EHS.  
    He said the location of Texas State University was convenient for both him and his family.
    “I chose Texas State because it is best for my child and it’s close to home,” Bates said.
    EHS Head Football Coach Huey Chancellor said Bates is blessed with size and speed, but still needs to develop his skills. Bates is 6-foot-4 and weighs 205 pounds.
    Chancellor said he will make a positive impact while playing football at TSU. TSU is in the NCAA Division 1 Sun Belt Conference.
    “He’s a good kid,” he said. “He takes care of his school work. He’s real serious about that and it shows through his grades. He’s a good young man and has a bright future ahead of him.”
    Chancellor said playing football at Texas State University was a good opportunity for Bates because he will be extending his education, have the opportunity to play football and his education will be paid for.
    “It is something he has dreamed about and it has came through,” he said.
    Edna Independent School District Superintendent Robert O’Connor agreed with Chancellor that he is good both on the field and in the classroom.
    “He has a rare combination of size and speed that makes him valuable at the next level,” O’Connor said. “The big value however is that he is also a good student with the GPA and test scores to be NCAA eligible as a junior and he has taken the core curriculum to get accepted and qualified. This makes him even more valuable and recruit ready.”
    The oral or verbal agreement is not binding in any way. When a coach offers an athlete a scholarship or a spot on the roster, depending on the situation or sport, it means that if the athlete commits that spot is taken (in word only). If the athlete doesn’t commit, the offer is there until someone else commits to fill that spot, according to NCSA Athletic Recruiting.
A verbal offer is made by the sport’s coaching staff and not by the school or athletic department. Usually, there is an agreement between the athletic director and the coaching staff that they are only offering student athletes that meet the department’s, school’s and NCAA’s requirements.