DALTON, Ga. — One of the things Ahmaad Tanner most liked about the Austin Peay State University football team was the way the Dalton High School running back said all during the recruiting process, everybody surrounding the program treated him like he was part of the team. 

It made it easy for Tanner to agree to officially become a part of it once National Signing Day comes around on Feb. 1. This weekend, Tanner committed to continue his athletic and academic careers with the Austin Peay Governors.

“It’s just been pretty crazy over the past few months, making a decision,” said Tanner, The Daily Citizen All-Area Player of the Year. “It just felt like it was home. They treated me so well while I was there.”

Austin Peay, in Clarksville, Tenn., in the northern part of the state, is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference that is coming off back-to-back 0-11 seasons. Will Healy just completed his first year as head coach and Tanner said another big reason he chose Austin Peay as his new team is that he shares the vision Healy has for building up the program.

“I know coach Healy, he really believes he can turn the program around and I think he can, too,” Tanner said. “He’s bringing in great players and great coaches. They treated my like I’m already on the team. They were open to me, treating me like one of them. It felt like home.

“They were the first school to offer me, they were with me the whole way,” Tanner said. “It was special, they showed they believe in me and believe I can do something great for them.”

This past season, Tanner rushed for 1,560 yards and 23 touchdowns in helping the Catamounts to a 13-1 record, the Region 6-6A championship and a spot in the state semifinals, where they lost to eventual state champions Valdosta.

“I think he’s one of the most underrated players in high school football right now,” Dalton High School football coach Matt Land said. “Austin Peay is getting a steal. I think it’s a great fit for him. I know the system they run is a system that allows him to be the kind of back he’s best suited for.

Tanner said he sees a lot of the Dalton style in Austin Peay’s offense.

“They run a little bit of what we ran at Dalton,” he said. “Some inside zone, and I did pretty good with that. It’s kind of close to it. They have some of their own things they do, though, too, but I think I can learn the offense pretty quickly and do well in it.”

The chance is there that Tanner can be on the field for the Governors this fall, but he said the only promises made were that the opportunity will be there to earn playing time.

“They told me nothing’s given, you got to come in and earn everything you get,” Tanner said. “‘You’ll get the opportunity to show what you can do, and if you shine, you’ll have the opportunity to play for us.’”

The decision came down to Austin Peay and Mercer, and while Tanner said the way Austin Peay “felt like home” went a long way into making that decision, there is also a hometown connection with the Austin Peay program. The team’s recruiting coordinator is 2009 Dalton High School graduate Carter Crutchfield, who also played football for the Catamounts. 

“I’ve been talking to Carter for a while,” Tanner said. “I’m pretty close with him and have gotten pretty close with all the coaches there.”

Tanner joins Kyric McGowan (Northwestern), Zeke Cobb (Middle Tennessee State) and John Wesley Whiteside (The Citadel) as members of Dalton’s state semifinalist football team who have committed to play college football for NCAA Division I programs. 

“We did pretty good,” Tanner said. “We’re a pretty good group, did some great things this year. Everyone worked hard, the coaching staff worked hard getting us ready.”

“This was a great group, a group that was very talented,” Land said. “This was a team that fed off each other. These guys coming into the system, the Bible talks about iron sharpens iron. Working against each other in practice made all of them better.” 

The group that accomplished so much together will get one final experience together. On Feb. 1, National Signing Day, the group will share a signing party together at Dalton High School when they all officially accomplish a life-long dream of becoming Division I athletes.