By Charles Prince

The North Jefferson News



MORRIS — He wasn’t even in uniform. He just had had shorts, a T-shirt and cleats, but Mortimer Jordan’s Brent Nation impressed the football coaches at the University of North Alabama.

“Before his junior year, we went to a passing camp at UNA,” Mortimer Jordan head coach Greg Watts said. “The coaches there asked about him during the week and they started requesting game films on him and they kept in touch for the last 18 months.”

Nation took his official visit to the Florence school on Jan. 30. Then the next day, the UNA coaches told him they had a football scholarship for him. He accepted and on Wednesday, he made it official as he signed with the Lions.

Nation, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 160 pounds, won’t see the field in the fall of 2008, because the UNA coaching staff plans on redshirting him.

“I really wanted to redshirt,” Nation said. “I wanted to have a chance to get bigger and stronger before I play college football. They told me I’ll probably get plenty of playing time after my redshirt year.”

Nation, who was a member of the 2007 All-North Jefferson football first team, will move from the halfback position he played at Mortimer Jordan to slot receiver at UNA.

“The coaches told me they wanted to get me out in space on defenders,” Nation said. “Playing the slot will let me get out in space.”

Nation will also likely have a chance to return kicks, a job he excelled in at Jordan—he returned two kickoffs and a punt for a touchdowns while playing for the Blue Devils. Nation had been contacted by West Alabama and UAB, but accepted the Lions offer, due in part because of the chance to play for a successful program. The Lions have made 13 NCAA Division II playoff appearances since 1980.

In 2007, during his senior season, Nation gained 1,131 yards on only 123 carries and average of 9.2 yards a carry. He also scored 13 times on the ground. In addition, he caught 13 passes for 267 yards and two more scores, returned seven punts for 135 yards and another touchdown and brought back 14 kickoffs for 335 yards and one more score.

All tolled, Nation had the ball 157 times during the 2007 season and gained 1,868 yards, an average of 11.9 yards per touch. His most memorable play of his senior season was likely his 75-yard touchdown run against Gardendale.