The last hurrah of the fax

Published 12:13 am Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Today thousands of athletes across the nation will put pen to paper to commit to a college or university; where they plan to spend the next few years.

Football fans everywhere pour over the rankings of individual athletes or overall classes to see which team won or who got the biggest steal on National Signing Day.

But the biggest winner on signing day has to be the forgotten device known as a fax machine.

Neglected almost every other day of the year, the fax machine is a top priority on signing day as athletic departments at high schools and colleges alike send proof of National Letters of Intent.

Let’s face it — no one sends faxes anymore. It’s outdated technology.

Why send a copy of a piece of paper over a phone line when you can create a digital version of that paper and email it?

Yet that’s the procedure used everywhere.

No offense to the fax machine — you’ve served your purposes — but it’s time to move on.

Maybe in a few years we can have National Signing Day sponsored by Instagram. All the athletes will take photos of their National Letters of Intent and then post them to their Instagram or Twitter accounts. As soon as the college coach tweets back at the athlete, you’ll know it’s official.

Until then, we’re stuck with the old fax machine, because if we didn’t fax letters of intent, then we wouldn’t fax anything at all.

Here’s a list of area football players and the schools to which they’re committed to fax their National Letters of Intent:

Lucas Askew, DE/WR/TE, Harmony — Texas State

Jonathan Barker, CB, Daingerfield — Trinity Valley CC

Paul Barksdale, WR, Palestine — Trinity Valley CC

Cory Barley, SS, Longview — Texas A&M-Commerce

Jadarrius Beasley, DB, Palestine — Arizona Western CC

Porfirio Benitez, K, John Tyler — Texas College

Chaston Bennett, RB/DB, Rusk — Tyler Junior College

D’Vante Botley, DE, Lufkin — Kilgore College

Tyus Bowser, DE, John Tyler — Houston

Ivory Brown, DB, Palestine — Tyler Junior College

Nakia Brown, DB, Longview — West Texas A&M

Patrick Brown, WR/DB, Henderson — SFA

Haden Bryant, WR, Bullard — Northwest Missouri

Dylan Cantrell, WR, Whitehouse — Texas Tech

Colby Campbell, S, Whitehouse — Lamar

Bivins Caraway, QB, Longview — UL-Monroe

Ian Chase, OL, Robert E. Lee — Tyler Junior College

A.J. Davis, LB, Kilgore — Sam Houston

Noe Diaz, K, John Tyler — Texas College

Mason Dickey, OL/DL, Brook Hill — Kansas

Necolas Edwards, DE, John Tyler — Texas College

Malik Ellis, OL/DL, Daingerfield — Texas A&M-Commerce

Brady English, OL/DL, Gilmer — Tyler Junior College

Darion Flowers, WR, John Tyler — Sam Houston

Xavier Fluellen, NG, Gilmer — Tyler Junior College

Darren Franklin, OL, Rusk — Henderson State

Richard Gipson, LB, John Tyler — Lamar

Isaiah Golden, DL, Carthage — Texas A&M

Elliott Hart, DB, John Tyler — Tarleton State

Shawn Hooks, WR, Daingerfield — Texas A&M-Commerce

Devonte Humber, ATH, John Tyler — Texas College

Montravious James, QB, Mount Pleasant — Trinity Valley CC

KeVante Jefferson, DE, John Tyler, Texas College

Traven Johnson, DB, John Tyler — Texas A&M-Commerce

James Jones, CB, Kilgore — North Texas

Demontre Lewis, DE, Lufkin — Sam Houston State

Justice Liggins, WR, John Tyler — SFA

Kendrick Mapp, RB, Lufkin — Tyler Junior College

Edwin Mims, WR/DB, Daingerfield — Navarro College

David Overstreet, RB/LB, Rusk — Henderson State

Lane Pearce, DE, Carthage — Ouachita Baptist

Matt Roe, OL, Bishop Gorman — Southwestern

Fred Ross, WR, John Tyler — Mississippi State

Matthew Seamands, OL, Brook Hill — Southeastern Oklahoma State

Jacob Sharff, ATH, Edgewood — Southeastern Oklahoma State

Walter Sheridan, RB/WR, Palestine — Trinity Valley CC

Nick Siler, OL, Henderson — Air Force

McKenlee Smith, OL, Whitehouse — Texas A&M-Commerce

Justin Spady, WR, Longview — Texas A&M-Commerce

Luc Swimberghe, K, Lindale — Sam Houston

Michael Taylor, FB/LB, Alto — Tyler Junior College

Emmanuel Terrazas, OL, John Tyler — Central Arkansas (PWO)

Will Thomas, DL, Whitehouse — Hardin-Simmons

Hayden Wall, OL, Hallsville — Abilene Christian

LaQuintas Wallace, RB, Robert E. Lee — Tyler Junior College

Jamarcus Warren, DB, John Tyler — Texas College

DeQuante Woods, ATH, John Tyler — Texas A&M-Commerce

Greg Ward, QB, John Tyler — Houston

Trey Washington, CB, Gilmer — SMU

Will Weathers, QB, Brook Hill — Abilene Christian