Hillsboro defensive back Malique Fleming cut his recruiting process short Friday, announcing he will sign a football scholarship with Mercer in February.
“I didn’t want to miss out on the great opportunity up there,” Fleming, a Georgia native, said of his decision to join the upstart program at the Macon school – about 90 minutes from the Stone Mountain/Tucker area where he grew up.
“It’s one of the best academic schools out of the offers I have. (The program) is fairly new, but not too new. They have a foundation, I see them building something and I want to be a part of it.”
The 2015 season will be the third year of competition for Mercer, which plays in the Southern Conference. The school originally began playing football in 1892, but had a couple of stoppages and ceased competition following the 1941 season for World War II before restarting two years ago.
As a junior, the 5-11, 190-pounder registered 88 total tackles with five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, eight pass breakups and six interceptions – three of which were returned for touchdowns. Fleming helped spearhead a Burro defense that pitched five shutouts last fall and held 12 straight opponents to 14 points or less while advancing to the Class 5A state finals.
Offensively, he had 167 receiving yards and 164 rushing yards on 39 combined touches with five total TDs.
In addition to Mercer, Fleming had offers from other Football Championship Subdivision programs Austin Peay, Murray State, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee-Chattanooga and Kennesaw State.
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