For decades, college football players have left school early to play in the NFL. Two Warren Central players are bringing the idea to high school football.

Defensive lineman Tekarius Qualls and defensive back Dekasei Crump have both signed with Holmes Community College and plan to enroll in January. They have already completed their coursework at Warren Central and graduated last week, at the end of the fall semester.

“Last year I got my grades right, talked to my counselors, and made sure I was straight. I graduated last Friday. Dekasei did the same thing. I didn’t even know he was doing it,” Qualls said. “It shows how hard I worked and to get where I’m going. Starting early is going to be beneficial for me.”

Qualls and Crump were both key parts of Warren Central’s outstanding defense this season.

Qualls racked up 76 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, five sacks and four forced fumbles. In the secondary, Crump had 71 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. Warren Central allowed only 7.3 points per game in its last eight games as it finished 9-4, won the MHSAA Region 2-6A championship, and reached the Class 6A semifinals.

Qualls started for two seasons and Crump for one. Qualls celebrated his achievement with a signing ceremony Friday in Warren Central’s fieldhouse. Crump was out of town and was unable to attend.

“It feels great because after my last year I didn’t feel like I did good enough,” Qualls said. “I didn’t think it was going to come. But it surprised me. It shows the hard work we all put in, because we all got offers.”

Qualls said he made the decision last year to finish high school early so he could get a jump on his college football career. Enrolling at Holmes in January will allow him to be in the team’s offseason program from the beginning instead of playing catch-up during the summer.

Down the road, he hopes, it will also allow him to do the same thing at a four-year school.

“You’ll get the offseason workout, you’ll learn the playbook. The other freshmen come in June, so you’ll have three, four, five months of work in before you even have to get ready for fall camp,” Qualls said. “You’ll know the playbook, the system, all of that. It’s just better to go early.”

Getting to play college football, Qualls added, was something he once thought he’d never get to do.

He suffered a neck injury as a freshman that kept him from playing in 2022. Last year he returned with a vengeance, totaling 74 tackles and 18 tackles for loss to emerge as a reliable playmaker.

He took another big leap this season, and then another this month by accepting the offer from Holmes. He thanked his family and coaches who supported him while he was injured early in his high school career.

“Ninth grade I thought I was through with football,” Qualls said. “God came and spoke to me and blessed me with opportunity.”