Kellen Gamble wanted to be close to home. It wasn’t the only factor, but having his friends and family come see him play college football was a big part of the decision. 

The offensive lineman made his commitment to Northern Illinois official at Homewood-Flossmoor’s college signing event Feb. 18. He originally announced his pledge last March. 

“It feels like closure for me. The recruiting process was a lot to go through,” Gamble said. “I’m happy it’s finally done. I’m getting ready for college.” 

He visited the DeKalb campus four times, he said. He committed on the second one instead of waiting for other offers. Huskies coaches told Gamble they’d like him to work at guard. He played both guard and tackle at H-F.

“It just felt like the right place. I waited as long as I could,” Gamble said. “It was the school that always wanted me.” 

Gamble was one of six Vikings football signees at the event.

His offensive linemate Kyle Bryant announced his commitment to Saginaw Valley State in Michigan. Bryant called it a “surreal moment.”

“This is a day I’ve been dreaming about since I’ve been playing football,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to play college football and go to school for free and I was able to do that.”

Bryant committed late. He wasn’t offered by the Cardinals until January. He said he’s part of a four-man offensive line class for Saginaw Valley. Some of the other school following him had much larger classes. 

“They want me to play on the interior. The biggest thing was they wanted me to come in and prove myself right away. They don’t want to have redshirt me,” he said. 

Khamryn Beaver will play defensive line for Upper Iowa. He said Peacocks coaches kept in touch with him throughout the recruiting process while some other schools didn’t.

They plan to use Beaver in multiple ways. He played multiple positions for the Vikings.

“I feel like I can do more than one thing. I’m very creative with my play style,” he said. “Them seeing that I can do more than one thing (was important).”

Beaver hopes to be an athletic trainer in the future and said Upper Iowa’s exercise science program appealed to him. 

Tremayne Moore, another defensive lineman, will play for and study at Benedictine University in Lisle. He verbally committed to the Eagles on Feb. 4. 

“It feels amazing. I’m excited. I can’t wait to get on the field,” he said.

The plan is to start Moore at defensive end but potentially move him inside or even to linebacker. He said he has no preference.

“If they need me to play d-tackle, I’ll play d-tackle. If they need me to play linebacker, I’ll play linebacker,” Moore said. “I just wanted to choose somewhere where I felt like I was needed.” 

Volleyball’s Calhoun signs with Vincennes

Na’imah Calhoun, a volleyball setter and the only signee who wasn’t a football player, inked with Vincennes University in Indiana. She said starting off at a junior college was the best path for her.

“It’ll just prepare me more,” Calhoun said. “I think, as a player, I have a lot of potential right now that I can grow from. This college will help me grow a lot.”  

Calhoun will study business management. She’s not sure what she’d like to end up doing for a living, yet, but knows it will likely be related. 

She said she’s grateful for her time at H-F.

“I really liked the environment here for our volleyball games. There’s always a big student section there,” Calhoun said. “Sports is just a really big thing here and it makes me happy that I’ve got to experience that.”