Sulphur’s Largest-Ever Football Signing Class Primed For Next-Level Play
Sulphur’s largest-ever football signing class will spread out over the state next fall to follow their dreams and make a difference on their respective teams.
They’ve already made a huge difference in Sulphur, helping the Bulldogs land in the state championship game in December where the team came just inches shy of the gold ball.
With parents and the press taking snaps and local football fans admiring their exploits, seven Bulldogs signed letters of intent to play at their chosen colleges in a balloon-filled ceremony held in the Sulphur Middle School gym last Wednesday.
Among the seven are two All-State players, Austin Garrett and Justus Gilliam, and five All-District and other award recipients, Luke Linville, Maddux Boyd, Eli Vinson, Caden Cole, and Giddeon Petersen.
“What an incredible accomplishment to have 7 young men getting the opportunity to play college football in one senior class,” said head Sulphur Coach Corey Cole. “By far the most we have ever had to sign in one class! This group of seniors had an incredible career and have really bought into our culture and our program.”
Cole said all seven players were “tremendous leaders of seeing our vision come to light” during their careers for the Bulldogs.
“We’re excited for all of their futures and we can’t wait to see them get an opportunity at the next level,” said Cole. “We are very proud of them and wish them the very best of luck and hope that they take things they have from our program to help them be successful as they enter this next journey of football. Go be Great fellas!”
Following is a synopsis of each player from the head coach’s perspective, their chosen college, and their accomplishments and awards during their careers and in the 2024 season.
Luke Linville: Southern Nazarene (SNU)
Luke had a great season in his first year as a Bulldog. He set season records at Sulphur for touchdown passes (33), passing yards (2,503), and completions with (135).
Luke is a very talented young man who gave our offense the spark we needed this year. He will also play baseball at Southern Nazarene.
Linville was District 3A-2 Quarterback of the Year.
Maddux Boyd: Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) Maddux has been a leader in this program for the past three years, and was the first person we put on our leadership team a few years ago. He has tremendous work ethic and football IQ and very physical player for the Bulldogs. He started at safety for the past three seasons with 90 tackles this season, one interception and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. He was a big leader of our defense and special teams.
Boyd was District 3A-2 Defensive back of the Year.
Eli Vinson: Southwestern (SWOSU) Eli became a tremendous player for Sulphur this year. He started every game at safety and was a key part of our special teams. He was playing his best football at the end of the year, and was the leading tackler in the state championship game. Very physical player and finished with 75 tackles. He and Boyd made up one of the best safety duos in the state.
Vinson was the District 3A-2 1st Team Defensive Back.
Austin Garrett: Southeastern (SOSU)
Austin is one of the best defensive players to ever play at Sulphur. He was a 4-year starter at Sulphur and ended his career becoming the all-time leader in tackles for the Bulldogs. He was an emotional player and leader of the Bulldog defense. This season, he had 114 tackles, 19 of which went for loss, three sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery. Garrett added 740 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns during the season. He was the Oklahoma Coaches Association (OCA) All-State linebacker and OCA Class 3A All-Star recipient.
Caden Cole: University Central Oklahoma (UCO) Caden has been a 3-year starter at offensive and defensive tackle for the Bulldogs. He finished this season with 56 tackles, 13 of which went for a loss. He was playing his best game of the year before tearing an ACL in the 4th quarter of the championship game and had an outstanding career at Sulphur. He was on the leadership team and was District 3A-2 Offensive Lineman of the year, an OCA Class 3A All-Star, and OCA Region 5 Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Gideon Petersen: Southeastern (SOSU)
Gideon has been with the Bulldogs for two years and truly was getting better with every practice and every game. He has lots of upside as he enters the college level. He started at offensive and defensive tackle for the Bulldogs, and had 47 tackles, and 4 sacks this season. He was named the District 3A-2 1st Team Offensive Lineman.
Justus Gilliam: Northeastern (NSU)
Probably the most dominant player to come through Sulphur as he was a 3-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines. He was one of the most physical players in the trenches to ever wear the red and white. This season he had 78 tackles, school record 22 tackles for loss and six sacks. He was an emotional leader of this football team. Has been on our leadership team since his sophomore year.
He was named OCA All-State, OCA Class 3A All-Star, Prep Redzone All-State, Daily Oklahoman All-State, and District 3A-2 Player of the Year- MVP.
“The future is bright for these guys and all of our senior class and the future is bright for Bulldog football as we will have several more with the opportunity to continue their careers in college football with next year’s senior class,” said Cole.
Sulphur ended the 2024 football campaign with the silver ball and a 12-2 record, losing to eventual state champions Washington by three in the opener and to Lincoln Christian by one in the state finals. In between, the Dogs left a damage path of blowout wins, including a 35-point victory over Davis, a team that went on to win the state Class 2A title game.
