ORRVILLE — Keith High School linebacker and ASWA All-State player, Demarquis Lumpkin, signed on to play football with Tuskegee University Wednesday.

In a school assembly, family members gathered around Lumpkin while he signed his scholarship and his classmates cheered, and even cried tears of joy, as he put the pen to the paper.

“He is one of the toughest football players I’ve ever coached,” Keith High School head football coach Harry Crum said Wednesday of Lumpkin, who made 116 tackles last season. “He only played in 10 games this season because he actually had a cracked hand at the beginning of the season, which kind of limited him, but he was still able to do exceptionally well in All-State and in the line backer position.”

The last player from Keith High School to sign on to a college football team was Orrville native Jimmy Richardson in 2004. Richardson signed on with Alabama A&M University.

“We haven’t had this happen in a long time,” Crum said. “This is a coaches dream and I am very excited about the fact that we have somebody that is signing a scholarship, because it gives them an opportunity to jump start the rest of their lives.”

Lumpkin said he had to give the thanks to God for the opportunity to play at a school as well as go to school on a full -ride scholarship.

“I know there are a lot of kids that wish they could be in my shoes right now,” Lumpkin said. “This is just a great opportunity for me and my family.”

He said his goals are big for his career at Tuskegee.

“Hopefully we can win a championship and make history,” he said. “I will just try to be the best player that I can.”