From Port Neches to Winnie, West Brook to West Orange, national signing day continued to retain its special flavor, full of a few last-minute surprises and shakeups.

  If Arizona figured on securing East Chambers versatile Tramain Thomas' signature, those rootin-tootin Arkansas Razorbacks had other ideas. If McNeese State planned on bagging the signature of Ozen defensive back Chris Raggett, those Razorbacks swooped in and changed things there, too.

  Most of the area's major decisions remained consistent with the earlier plans, except for new Hogs head coach Bobby Petrino and recruiter extraordinaire Kirk Botkin. When Botkin finished selling Arkansas to Southeast Texas, the Porkers assistant had snagged two of this region's more enticing plums.

  The 36th annual News Super Team's Most Valuable Player, Thomas switched his commitment from Arizona to Arkansas on Super Bowl weekend after a visit to the Fayetteville, Ark., campus. Ozen's Raggett changed from McNeese to Arkansas when he notified Botkin on Monday night after baseball practice.

  And who assumed that there would not be any last-minute college football recruiting surprises in the Golden Triangle this winter? Well, this writer did, that's for sure.

  "I actually knew I wanted to be a Razorback when I took the visit (on Jan. 25)," EC's Thomas told reporters on Wednesday. "It felt like home to me... They expect me to come in and play corner. Hopefully, I will get a lot of playing time."

  Thomas ran for 3,551 yards and 50 TDs while throwing for 2,900 yards and 25 TDs in Winnie, but he really got more major college attention with his 105 tackles and 11 interceptions at corner. He may be joined in the Arkansas secondary by another less-heralded Golden Triangle export. Raggett had 94 tackles and four interceptions. The Ozen safety picked the Hogs after also receiving a late recruiting offer from Baylor.

  "It's a nice campus, and we went into the weight room and that weight room is something else," Raggett said.

  Judging by the size of Nebraska's extra-large linemen, Memorial defensive back David Whitmore probably will find the Cornhuskers' weight room to be something else, too.

  The first member of Nebraska's 2008 signup class, Whitmore also found there was no place like Nebraska.

  "I thought that I would fit in good," Whitmore said. "I wanted to be a part of their tradition."

  Whitmore said that he also considered Oklahoma State, Missouri and California but Nebraska really had everyone else in a distant second and third position. His mom, Pansy Whitmore, and grandmother, Ella Chambers could not argue with Whitmore's preference.

  "This is a real special day," he said. "It's a great opportunity for me and my family. I look at it as a blessing."

  With mom Brenda Posey at his side, Memorial's all-time leading receiver Freddie King did not want any part of a long-distance college trip. The short drive to Huntsville seemed quite comfy for King, who labeled his recruitment as "Sam Houston all the way."

  King believes Sam Houston wants to win and wants to win the right way.

  "This tops everything," he said. "It's the best day of my life. I've been working all my life to get here to this point."

  One of King's Southland Conference opponents just might be defensive end Zeke Schexnider of Texas State. The Port Neches-Groves defensive end echoed King's words, when he called it "the best day of his life."

  "There were other schools but I had my heart set on Texas State," Zeke said. "I just talked to other places."

  Schexnider was the lone signee on Wednesday from PN-G. This year's lone Nederland recruit, Dravannti Johnson, signed on UT's campus in Austin, with Longhorns' coach Mack Brown watching.

  "Dravannti can really run and he can help us by coming off the corner," UT's Brown said. "He had a lot of sacks at Nederland and we need to get more sacks. Our spring training starts in a couple of weeks and he could end up being either a defensive end or a linebacker. We will start him out in a couple weeks at outside linebacker but he may have to play more than one position."

 



AREA SIGNUP ROSTER

 

  BEAUMONT CENTRAL -- Brian Davis, 6-1, 205, linebacker, Navarro College; Adrian Guillory, 5-9, 180, defensive back, Navarro College; Derrick Hall, 5-11, 210, running back-wide receiver-defensive back, Texas A&M.;

  BEAUMONT KELLY -- Donnie Carona, 6-0, 205, kicker, Texas Tech; Doran Guillory, 6-3, 260, defensive line, U of Houston; Kheeston Randall, 6-6, 290, defensive tackle, Texas.

  BEAUMONT OZEN -- Chris Raggett, 5-11, 175, defensive back, Arkansas; Desmond Wilcox, 6-0, 175, defensive back, Central Arkansas; Kevin Newton, 6-2, 185, defensive back, Kilgore College; Devonian Stelly, 6-0, 250, defensive tackle, Texas College; Patrick May, 6-1, 290, offensive tackle, Texas College.

  BEAUMONT WEST BROOK -- Blake Chavis, 6-5, 230, defensive end, Texas A&M; Marcus Malbrough, 6-5, 215, defensive end, Missouri; Shane McCardell, 6-5, 215, defensive end, Mississippi State; Michael Williams, 6-1, 180, cornerback, Baylor; Ryan Pollard, 6-3, 280, offensive tackle, Texas A&M-Kingsville; Josh Powdrill, 5-9, 160, wide receiver, Navarro College.

  EAST CHAMBERS -- Tramain Thomas, 6-1, 185, cornerback, Arkansas; Vance McDonald, 6-2, 205, defensive end-tight end, Rice.

  HARDIN-JEFFERSON -- Jake Roby, 6-4, 255, offensive line, University of the Incarnate Word.

  JASPER -- Malcolm Bronson, 6-0, 185, defensive back, McNeese State.

  KIRBYVILLE -- Ryan Jones, 6-4, 255, center, Kilgore JC; Pierce Rhodes, 5-10, 185, running back, Kilgore JC.

  LITTLE CYPRESS-MAURICEVILLE -- Kendrix Salter, 6-0, 180, running back, Nicholls State.

  LUMBERTON -- Jonathan Ward, 6-1, 220, defensive end, Texas State

  NEDERLAND -- Dravannti Johnson, 6-2, 235, defensive end-outside linebacker, enrolled for the spring semester at Texas.

  PORT ARTHUR MEMORIAL -- David Whitmore, 6-2, 175, defensive back; Nebraska; Freddie King, 5-10, 175, wide receiver, Sam Houston State; Harry Brown, 6-2, 170, quarterback, Texas Southern; Reginald Broussard, 6-4, 275, offensive line, Texas Southern; Jalonzo Thomas, 6-4, 175, wide receiver, Southern Arkansas; Kevin Thomas, 6-4, 315, Stephen F. Austin State; Anthony Cocrell, 6-1, 180, defensive back, Trinity University.

  PORT NECHES-GROVES -- Zeke Schexnider, 6-4, 215, defensive end, Texas State.

  SILSBEE -- Daniel Paulus, 6-4, 300, offensive line, McNeese State.

  WEST ORANGE-STARK -- Seth Thomas, 5-9, 175, defensive back, McNeese State; Tim Matherne, 6-2, 260, offensive line, Louisiana College; DePauldrick Garrett, 5-8, 185, running back, Navarro College; Ronnie Dennis, 5-10, 170, wide receiver, Navarro College; Josh Rhodes, 6-0, 185, wide receiver, Navarro College.