Wildcats Have Incredible Showing On Signing Day
It was a great day to be a Wildcat Wednesday, as a number of Sulphur Springs Wildcats were celebrated and given the opportunity to announce where they will be taking their talents at the next level on National Signing Day. Not only has winning become tradition again in Sulphur Springs, but so has sending athletes to the next level, and Wednesday saw one of the best turnouts in school history.
Sulphur Springs saw a total of 10 student-athlete’s sign their letters of intent Wednesday, with eight of them being football players, along with one cheerleader and one baseball player. That brings the total number to 16, with Evey Birdsong, Addy Fenton, Grayson Hardy, Truth Holmes, Vincent Johnson and Aidan McCarroll already having their signing day back in December.
The 10 Wildcats and Lady Cats who announced their signing on Wednesday included:
Taylor Price, Washburn University, Cheerleading
The first student-athlete to have their name called Wednesday was Taylor Price, the lone Lady Cat who signed their letter of intent Wednesday. Price joins Birdsong and Fenton, who signed back in December, as a strong signing class for the Lady Cats this year.
Price is a four-year cheerleader who spent three years on varsity, being one of the most experienced leaders of the Lady Cats cheer squad this year. Signing with Washburn University, Price is the student-athlete who will be making the longest trip, going all the way to Topeka, Kansas, where she will continue to represent Sulphur Springs well, over 450 miles away.
Lane Fouse, Henderson State University, Baseball
Representing the Sulphur Springs Wildcats baseball team was Lane Fouse, who signed his letter of intent to play at Henderson State University, in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Fouse is looking to enter his senior season after a huge 2025, where the Wildcats reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2013, and made it to the Area Round of the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Fouse played a huge role as a junior, being named Honorable Mention All-District, and finishing fourth or higher on the team in RBI, runs scored and walks. He was also great in clutch situations, hitting .273 with runners in scoring position. Both Fouse and the Wildcats as a team will look to continue adding to their success and Fouse will look to finish his career as a Wildcat on a strong note, before moving on to Henderson State and joining the Reddies.
Tripp McIntyre, Hendrix College, Football
Also joining Fouse, in the state of Arkansas is offensive lineman Tripp McIntyre, who was one of four Wildcat offensive lineman who will be playing at the next level this fall. The 2025 Wildcats offensive line was one of the very best in the state of Texas, and perhaps the best in school history, with SIX players receiving All-District honors, giving them an entire starting unit and an alternate to do so.
McIntyre will be taking his talents to Conway, Arkansas, where he will be reunited with former teammate and Wildcat alumn Nathan Andrews, who had a great freshman year for the Warriors. McIntyre finished his Wildcat career as a two-year varsity player, culminating in an Honorable Mention All-District senior season, and playing a huge role on one of the best offensive lines in the state of Texas.
Jamorian Jeffrey, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Football 
One of eight Wildcat football players who signed their letters of intent Wednesday, and 12 total on the year, was wide receiver Jamorian Jeffrey, who will be going to Southeastern Oklahoma State University, in Durant, Oklahoma.
Jeffrey had a fantastic senior season for the Wildcats, leading the team in receiving yards (562), yards per catch (18.7) and receiving touchdowns (8), playing a huge role in the Wildcats offense. Jeffrey proved to be a game changer for the Wildcats his entire career, with Sulphur Springs going 6-1 in games where Jeffrey had one or more touchdown catches. The Wildcats leading receiver will leave big shoes to fill, but will look to continue improving his game and representing Sulphur Springs well at the next level.
Jeffrey Stevenson, Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Football
Center Jeffrey Stevenson is one of SIX Wildcats who not only signed their letter of intent Wednesday, but signed their letter of intent with one of the newest football programs in the state of Texas, Texas A&M University-Texarkana.
Stevenson is one of the few players in the program who can say they were a four-year varsity guy, and only saw his role increase each season. The four-year varsity offensive lineman ended his Wildcat career on a high note, being named First Team All-District, along with Aidan McCarroll, who signed his letter of intent to play at Midwestern State University back in December. Stevenson will have the privilege and luxury of being joined by a number of his close friends and teammates, all of which we will get to throughout the remainder of this article.
Tre Pannel, Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Football
Also joining Stevenson in Texarkana will be First Team All-District defensive lineman Tre Pannel, who had a fantastic senior season. Pannel had a tough journey after dealing with a season-ending injury, not long after being moved up to varsity during his junior season.
Rather than let it set him back, Pannel worked tirelessly to get back on the field and back to the level he was playing at. His hard work showed off, with Pannel not only being named First Team All-District, but leading all Wildcat defensive linemen in tackles, as well as having three tackles for loss, one forced fumble and making one of the most exciting plays of the entire season when he was able to come up with an interception. Pannel now becomes the second member of the Wildcats defensive line to sign their letter of intent, joining Truth Holmes, who signed with the University of Texas at El Paso back in December and is already on campus in El Paso.
Alex King, Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Football
Yet another Wildcat who will be turning in their Wildcats jersey for an Eagles jersey is linebacker Alex King, who was named the Defensive MVP of District 7-4A. King was a three-year varsity linebacker for the Wildcats, who saw his game and role within the defensive grow each year.
After a strong junior year, King went on to lead the Wildcats in tackles (86), sacks (5) and forced fumbles (3) in 2025. The Texas A&M University-Texarkana signee was one of the main focal points of one of the best defensive units in the state of Texas, helping the Wildcats allow just 17.9 points per game this season, and putting their team in a good position to win games week-in and week-out. King will look to continue to improve his game, much like he has in each of the last three years, with a number of his high school teammates by his side.
Jio Ibarra, Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Football
Yet another member of the Wildcats defense, and one of the leaders of the Wildcats secondary, who will be taking his talents to Texarkana is corner back Jio Ibarra. Ibarra is the second member of the Wildcats secondary to take his talents to the next level, joining safety Grayson Hardy who signed with Louisiana Tech back in December.
Ibarra was the definition of a playmaker and a game changer for the Wildcats defense. The newest addition to the Eagles in Texarkana first made a name for himself on an October night back in his sophomore season, when he picked off the Community quarterback not once, not twice, but three times in a single game.
Ibarra continued to make highlight plays his entire career as a Wildcat, including picking off top quarterback prospect Bowe Bently from Celina, both times he faced off against him. The Human Highlight Reel finished his Wildcat career with eight interceptions, and is the only player in the Coach Faircloth Era to have multiple interceptions in three consecutive seasons, and will look to continue making highlight plays, just on Saturday’s instead of Friday night’s now.
Jaxson Haire, Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Football
In the modern era of Wildcats football there are very few players who can say they spent four years on varsity, so it wasn’t a matter of IF Jaxson Haire was going to play college football, but WHERE. On Wednesday we got the answer to that question, when Haire joined a number of his Wildcat teammates by signing with Texas A&M University-Texarkana.
Haire finished his Wildcat career by being named Utility Player of the Year for the second year in-a-row, having what was arguably his best season as a Wildcat. In his senior season, Haire finished the year with 1,001 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, but also played a huge role in the passing game, racking up 443 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns, to give him a total of 1,444 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Over the course of his four-year varsity career, Captain Wildcat played a huge role in every facet of the Wildcats offense, being both a primary wide receiver and a primary running back at different points of his career. Haire finished his varsity career with a total of 3,765 yards and 47 touchdowns, and will look to continue to progress and improve his game at the next level.
TJ Bolden, Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Football
Last, but certainly not least was TJ Bolden, who became the 12th member of the Wildcats football team to sign their letter of intent, and the sixth player to sign with Texas A&M University-Texarkana. Bolden began making a name for himself in 2024, and came into the 2025 season with high expectations.
Bolden not only met those expectations, but surpassed them, having his best season yet and being named First Team All-District. Bolden was a menace to opposing offenses all season long, leading the Wildcats in tackles for loss (9.5) and tying for the second most sacks on the team as well. After playing along side each other as members of the Wildcats linebacking core in high school, Bolden and King will have the luxury of that chemistry carrying over to the college level, along with the rest of their Wildcat teammates who will all be attending Texas A&M University-Texarkana this fall.
