Five Falcons athletes commit to college teams

In the end the suspense wasn’t what it had been made out to be.

Nation Ford senior Hank Tuipulotu committed to Brigham Young University (BYU), while four of his fellow seniors committed to their college of choice as part of National Signing Day recently. Fellow football players Jordan Helms (North Greenville), Chandler Smith (Newberry) and Charles Newton (Tusculum) also committed to play college football and Abbey Bjerken committed to play soccer at West Virginia Wesleyan.

In his time at Nation Ford, Tuipulotu caught 266 passes for 3,395 yards and 29 touchdowns. Tuipulotu won’t be entering BYU until 2018. He will start a two year Mormon mission trip to a destination unknown later this year.

“I went to visit (BYU) this past weekend and I had the chance to meet the head coach, who I hadn’t met before and I was impressed with him and his beliefs and the way he has chosen his coaching staff,” Tuipulotu said.

“I was excited because Ty Detmer had gotten the offensive coordinator coaching position and he told me the offense he was planning on running and that would fit me perfectly,” he said about the 1990 Heisman Trophy winner.

“The feel at the campus was over the top. The visit was so much fun. I think I made a decision that was best for me.”

Helms picked North Greenville University over South Carolina State and Newberry College. During his time as a Falcon, Helms caught 175 passes for 1,942 yards and 16 touchdowns. Helms said he will be used like he was mostly at Nation Ford as an H-back and a receiving tight end.

“I liked Newberry and South Carolina State, but I think North Greenville is a better fit for me all around,” Helms said. “I liked the coaching staff and it felt like home already. We got a good recruiting class coming in.”

Helms said he is undecided on his major.

Smith, a tackle and guard for Nation Ford, will be playing at Newberry College and chose the Red Wolves over Greensboro College and Kansas Wesleyan. He plans on majoring in sports management.

“I felt like it felt like home,” Smith said of Newberry. “It felt comfortable there. It felt like the coaches provided the players with a lot of support.”

A defensive end for the Falcons known for his jaw dropping hits, Newton picked Tusculum College over Limestone College, Newberry College, North Greenville University and South Carolina State. He said he will probably be playing outside linebacker for the school. Like Smith, Newton plans on majoring in sports management.

“They showed the most interest in me,” Newton said. “So I probably will get more playing time with them. The first time I went down there it was a very nice environment. They have some of the best facilities I have seen.”

Bjerken, the only female at Nation Ford to make a commitment on National Signing Day, will be heading to West Virginia Wesleyan College, near Buckhannon, WVa. A soccer goalie, Bjerken plans on majoring in athletic training. She also looked at Berry University and Lenoir-Rhyne University among other schools before deciding on West Virginia Wesleyan.

“It’s located in the mountains and I love the girls and the coaches,” Bjerken said. “They were very nice to me when I went and it is a once and a lifetime opportunity.”

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Five Falcons athletes commit to college teams."