GILROY—Gavilan coach Spencer Gilford promised Deniko Carter, Armani Miller and Trevin Kelley he’d help them reach the next level. On Wednesday, Gilford fulfilled that promise.
All three Gavilan wide receivers signed their letters of intent to play football at four-year institutions on National Signing Day. Carter is headed to the University of Utah, Kelley to Mississippi Valley State and Miller to West Georgia University.
“It’s always a good feeling when they get a chance to sign a letter and move on, especially on National Signing Day,” Gilford said. “It’s good for our program, but more so it’s good for them because they get to realize those dreams. That’s the reason why they came here. “
Deniko Carter
Carter said joining the University of Utah is “a blessing” and credited his achievement to the support of his family, Rams coaches and teammates.
He said it was a good feeling to accomplish his goal of signing with a Division I school, but Gilford said it’s no surprise given Carter’s drive and work ethic.
“He’s the ultimate competitor,” Gilford said. “He wants to win everything that he does: every rep that he takes, every catch that’s thrown to him, every play. He wants to win all the time. I think that’s probably his greatest attribute.”
Carter earned All-Golden Coast League honors for his performance last season. He racked up 796 yards through nine games and averaged 88.4 per game. The sophomore also scored six touchdowns.
He’s joining a Utes team that went 9-4 last season and beat Colorado State 45-10 in the Royal Purple Bowl on Dec. 20 in Las Vegas. While he had other offers, Carter said it was the coaching staff that sold him on heading to Salt Lake City.
“I loved the coaching staff; nothing about the coaching staff was fake when I got there,” the Baltimore native said. “Growing up coming from where I come from, the first opportunity you, get take it.”
Carter said he’s most excited about an opportunity to showcase his talents on the national level, especially since his loved ones will see him.
“I feel good, but I’m not going to get big headed,” he said. “My family and friends are going to get to see me play and hopefully I take my talents to the next level. I just have to stay blessed, humble and take advantage of my opportunity.”
Trevin Kelley
Kelley is heading to Mississippi Valley State and hopes to follow in the footsteps of one of its greatest alums—Jerry Rice.
Like Rice, Kelley has been blessed with the gift of speed. Gilford said the Shrewsbury, Mass. native ran a 4.3 40-yard dash when he joined the Rams and he’s confident his talent will make him successful at the next level.
“(His speed) is obvious against teams like Hartnell last year to have that deep threat,” the Rams coach said. “He’s a hardworking kid and I know the majority of his success is in front of him because of how hard he works on and off the field.”
Like Carter, Kelley had multiple offers but his decision hinged on the coaching staff. Though he hasn’t visited the campus in Itta Bena, Miss. yet, he already feels comfortable given the relationships he’s developed with the coaching staff.
The Delta Devils will be looking to Kelley to help them rebound from last season’s 2-9 record. The speedy wide receiver tallied 360 yards and averaged 40 per game for Gavilan this season and reached the endzone twice.
He said he’s learned a lot of lessons from his Gavilan coaches and teammates, the most important being to stay focused.
“(Gavilan taught me about) controlling what you can and not worrying about the other things,” Kelley said. “Just controlling all the things in your life that you can control and not letting other distractions get in and bother you and stuff—just staying focused.”
The sophomore is excited to start the next chapter in his football career, especially since some games will be televised on ESPN. This allows his family in Massachusetts to catch his games.
“It’s a blessing,” Kelley said. “I’m just so happy because all my hard work has paid off. I’m thankful.”
Armani Miller
Miller was still in disbelief as he inked his letter with West Georgia University. The first-year Ram made his decision to join the Wolves only hours before.
While he had offers from a couple Division I schools, they were based on him joining the team as a mid-year transfer next year. Miller decided on the Division II Wolves as it would give him three years at the collegiate level instead of one.
But divisions, Miller said, don’t matter. The freshman said he felt blessed to have the opportunity to play at the next level and that all his hard work paid off.
“I came out here from Ohio to take care of business,” Miller said. “I worked hard with the teammates and stayed focused on my grades because that was the most important thing to do.”
Miller was instrumental for Gavilan last season and averaged 97.5 yards in the six games he played. He finished with 585 yards and seven touchdowns.
Miller joins a Wolves team which boasts a 12-3 overall record and reached the NCAA Division II semifinals. They were four points shy of a National Championship berth, losing 10-7 to Colorado State-Pueblo which went on to win the title.
Given what he did for the Rams this season, Gilford said he’s confident Miller’s addition will only strengthen WGU’s team next year.
“Armani is really a polished receiver; he has that desire to be great,” Gilford said. “He’s got a really great gift of going after every single ball and trying to catch it like it’s the only ball he’s going to get and do whatever he can do with it once he catches it.”
The coaches, once again, were the deciding factor for Miller as he weighed his options. The Wolves have been in constant contact with him and made him feel right at home when he went to visit.
“They showed mad love,” Miller said. “I just felt like they really wanted me there and my teammates showed me a lot of love, too. I felt comfortable.”
Though he’s from Ohio, he has family in Kentucky and will be a short drive when he arrives at the Carrollton, Ga. campus. He said he’s excited to be closer to them and have the opportunity to play in a stadium full of Wolves fans.
But he won’t be forgetting the lessons he learned at Gavilan any time soon.
“They just taught me how to be a better person,” Miller said. “I came out here and became a young man.”
The trio brings the total number of Rams who have signed football scholarships to six this season with six to seven more expected.
