Matt Hamilton/Daily Citizen-NewsDalton High School senior Ivan Mora signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to play football at Wake Forest University.

DALTON, Ga. — On a normal morning, Dalton High School’s Ivan Mora wakes up one day closer to high school graduation. He collects his belongings and is off to school along with his classmates.

But Wednesday was no normal day.

Not long after Mora opened his eyes and rolled out of bed, the sun not even peaking above the mountain tops, his family gathered around as he pulled out a pen, touched it to his National Letter of Intent, signed his name and solidified his future.

Wednesday was no normal day. It was the day Mora became a member of the Wake Forest Deacon football team.

North Murray’s Luke Griffin started Wednesday in a similar way, signing his National Letter of Intent to the University of Missouri, making sure the papers were delivered as soon as possible.

The duo made things officially official after each solidified prior commitments to their respective Division I programs during the Early Signing Period, the first window for high school athletes to sign with NCAA football programs, which began Wednesday and ends Friday.

“I couldn’t even sleep last night,” said Griffin, a 6-5, 275-pound offensive lineman. “The earliest I could sign was 7 this morning, so I was just waiting for that all night. It was a long night just waiting, but it’s a done deal now and I’m ready for a new challenge.”

The same was true for Mora, who was just happy to see the whole thing come to an end.

“It was certainly past 12 when I went to bed, probably closer to 1,” he said. “I woke up this morning thinking about how today was the day I was getting a full scholarship to go to college. I’m just very happy for my family.”

Griffin was highly recruited by some of the most notable schools in the country. The one-time University of Georgia commit took visits to Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, among other schools, but decided to commit to Missouri after a recent official visit. Mora, a kicker and a punter, made his commitment to Wake Forest this past summer and said he was still hearing from schools after that, including Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

“Wake Forest was just something that I was really proud of and excited about,” Mora said. “There were still people trying to get me, though. Once I went to a school and fell in love, it was exciting to hear from other schools but I wasn’t going to change.”

Griffin recovered from ACL tears in both knees during his high school career. He said he felt the ups and downs of big-time college football recruitment.

“It came to a point after my second knee surgery where I didn’t hear anything from any colleges for about five or six months,” Griffin said. “I knew I could still play somewhere but I wasn’t sure where.”

After de-committing from Georgia this past April, Griffin reopened his recruitment and dedicated himself to having the best senior year possible. Griffin’s mother, Joanna Griffin, said when she found herself getting down about the situation, her son was the rock.

“He never got down or depressed about it,” Joanna Griffin said. “From a young age people always said he was going to do big things, it’s just a dream come true.”

Both Mora and Griffin are locked in now and ready for the next step.

Up next for Mora is the Under Armour All-American Game on Jan. 3 in Orlando, Florida. Griffin is steadily leading the North Murray basketball team to a so-far solid season.

Griffin said the support from his coaches, teammates and family is what helped him reach where he is today. He praised his classmates and the North Murray community for all the support he’s been given over the past few years and his father, Jason, echoed that sentiment.

“There was never any jealously or animosity from anyone at any point, I don’t think you see that at most places,” Jason Griffin said. “Especially in Murray County, we don’t have a lot of kids going D-I in anything. It’s just been a great ride.”

Likewise, Dalton football coach Matt Land is proud to call Mora a Catamount.

“I watched the way Ivan talks to other players,” he said. “We all love and respect him for everything he’s done, but the way he has been so authentic and genuine is something you can’t put a premium on.”

Before long, photographs with teammates, family and coaches dwindled and Mora and Griffin were left with time to process everything that had happened.

The pair shared the same appreciation for their early chance to sign with a college.

“I just knew it was the right place for me,” Mora said. “I wanted to make it official. Signing that paper stops everything. It’s a relief.”

For Griffin, his father said his son’s eagerness is palpable.

“I’m excited because I see how excited he is about it,” Jason Griffin said. “I think he’d leave today if he could.”