East Cobb QBs Make College Picks

After changing his mind about where he wants to participate in college athletics, Elijah Staley announced on Friday that he's made another decision, and this time he's sticking with it.

Around 3:30 p.m., the two-sport star from Wheeler High School Tweeted that he will attend Mississippi State University, which plays in the Southeastern Conference.

That decision came on the heels of an announcement from Walton High School quarterback Price Wilson that he will sign with Louisiana Tech.

Staley and Wilson are rising seniors who took their respective teams to the Georgia High School Association state football playoffs as juniors.

Their commitments are unofficial until National Signing Day, when high school football players sign scholarship letters.

Staley's Twitter timeline filled up with well-wishers -- especially Mississippi State fans -- and included links to media coverage from news outlets in that state who claimed Staley to be one of the university's more noteworthy recent athletic recruits.

He also posted a short video of his announcement, in which he stated he would be "taking my talents to Starkvegas."

That last reference is a slang term for Starkville, a small town in the northeastern part of the state where the Mississippi State campus is located.

Staley, a 6-foot-6 football quarterback and basketball power forward, orginally declared he would attend Vanderbilt University, also in the SEC.

But he withdrew that committment because the Vanderbilt football staff didn't want him to play two sports.

That won't be a problem at Mississippi State, which will allow him to compete in both football and basketball.

He is considered a multi-star in both sports, but some scouts think he has more professional potential in football because of his size for his position.

Staley, who is left-handed, passed for 1,804 yards and 16 touchdowns in leading the Wildcats to the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

He also was the focal point of a Wheeler basketball team that reached the state semifinals last season.

Wilson shared time at quarterback last season with Alabama-bound Parker McLeod, who was injured, and gained confidence and interest from college programs.

Wilson threw for nearly 600 yards for the Raiders and had a strong outing at a recent summer camp.

Staley and Wilson will be playing for noted offensive coaches at the college level. Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, who guided Tim Tebow at Florida, has had Staley high on his list.

At Louisiana Tech, Wilson will be coached by Skip Holtz at a school that had one of the most high-powered offenses in the country.