Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — The College of the Redwoods pash rush just got a whole lot better.

On Monday evening, three St. Bernard’s All-League football players signed their letters of intent to continue their playing careers and education at the local community college, giving CR head coach Jason White a boost just a few weeks ahead of preseason practice.

Crusaders Kohlton Hall, Jahseree Bailey and Kuron Devlin have all committed to play for Redwoods, and all three appear well capable of making some serious noise at the next level.

Defensive ends Hall and Bailey helped anchor what was arguably the best pass rush in the H-DNL last fall, combining for a remarkable 35.5 sacks between them, while Devlin was undoubtedly one of the best playmakers in the league, contributing in all facets of the game and making big plays on a regular basis.

“These are special days when we get to celebrate our student athletes, their great accomplishments and everything they’ve accomplished in their four years here at St. Bernard’s academy,” St. Bernard’s Athletic Director and football head coach Matt Tomlin said at the letter signing.  

“We’re super, super proud of these three young men. They’re great in the community, they’re great in the classroom, they’re great on the sports field. They’re great representatives of their families and of their school, and like I said we couldn’t be prouder of them.”

For Bailey, the decision to continue his career at CR was an easy one.

He follows in the footsteps of his older brother Perry Bailey and cousin Deshaun Bailey, each of whom has played for the local community college program in recent years.

For Jahseree, that was a big reason he chose White’s team.

“I thought it would be a great way for me to stay close to home and also have the same impact they did,” he said.

The senior standout played a pivotal role in the Crusaders’ march to a co-Big 4 championship in the fall.

He finished his final high school campaign with 75 tackles, 15 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Hall was equally impactful in his final high school football season, finishing with 76 tackles, 20.5 sacks and four forced fumbles.

“The kid was absolutely a beast,” Tomlin said. “He could have went to any college he wanted to, and I have no doubt that after he goes to junior college he’s going to end up at a major university because he gets it done on the field and he gets it done in the classroom.”

Hall will also compete in track and field at CR.

At St. Bernard’s he mainly competed in the sprints, shot put and discus, including a first-place finish in the latter at this year’s North Coast Section Class Championships when he threw a PR of 146’ 5”.

He also placed third in the shot put at the section meet and has a PR of 44’ 2”, which he set earlier in the spring.

Hall says he decided to stay local after seeing how White and his staff have made the CR football program relevant again in recent years.

“I watched their program grow the last few years and they’ve absolutely really evolved into a great team, and it’s somewhere I could really feel myself fitting in,” he said “They have a great sense of family and community and I think I’d fit in great there.”

Bailey and Hall are expected to immediately vie for playing time.

“Imagine these two guys coming off the edge,” said Tomlin, who described them as “remarkable edge defenders.”

Devlin, meanwhile, played two years at St. Bernard’s after moving to the area from Florida, but he wasted no time fitting in and showcasing his collegiate bound talents.

“Man, were we lucky when he showed up,” said Tomlin, who described Devlin as a “tremendous athlete” and added “what a remarkable senior year. He did a little bit of everything.”

Indeed he did.

On defense, Devlin had 22 tackles and two interceptions, while on offense he finished the year with 584 yards receiving and eight TDs, as well as two rushing TDs.

Remarkably, Devlin also scored touchdowns on an interception, punt return and kickoff return.

And like with Hall and Bailey, Devlin feels that CR gives him a great opportunity to succeed at the next level.

“I feel like it was the best choice for me for the situation I have,” he said. “I feel like they can get me to the next level.”

Devlin, who says he considered returning to Florida to play for Bethune-Cookman before ultimately opting to remain here on the North Coast, also paid tribute to all the people that helped him on his journey.

“Thank you to everybody who got me here, my dad, coaches, friends,” he said.

All three new recruits say they would eventually like to continue their playing careers at four-year programs.

Devlin says he wants to major in Business and “start my own clothing brand,” while Bailey wants to major in Project Management and Hall will major in Kinesiology on his way to getting a doctorate in Physical Therapy.

All three of them will also cherish the time they spent at St. Bernard’s.

“(I’l remember) all the friends, all the memories, definitely football,” Bailey said. “Football was amazing, but mostly probably the coaches.”

Hall echoed the sentiment.

“I’ll remember my coaches always pushing me and being there for me whether we failed or succeeded,” he said. “They were always there pushing me and supporting me, and I couldn’t ask for any better coaches.”