Long County High School’s Kendall Lovett has signed a letter of intent to further his education and football career at Catawba College. 

Lovett signed the paperwork on February 6 and then held a signing ceremony at the high school on Feb. 12.

He chose Catawba because of its location. “It’s only four hours away from home which is how I wanted it to be since I am going to be on my own,” he said. The fact that Catawba has a 13:1 student-teacher ratio was another key factor in Lovett making his decision. 

Lovett said that the Catawba coaching staff really believed in him from the start of the recruiting process.

The 6-foot-2 Lovett, who is the son of Reginald and Sandra Lovett, plans to major in exercise science and minor in sports medicine.

Blue Tide head coach JT Pollock stated that Lovett was the team’s most explosive player and despite injuries that limited his playing time, he still led the team in rushing and passing touchdowns. His best game was a 103-yard rushing effort against Appling County.

“He is a rare combination of a large, strong, fast skill kid. He has an excellent work ethic in the weight room and in the classroom as well. We are very proud of Kendall and wish him the best of luck,” said Pollock.

Lovett split time at quarterback, running back and defensive back during the 2018 season. According to statistics on Max Preps, Lovett ended the year with 324 rushing yards, 89 passing yards and eight tackles.

Lovett attended Long County during his freshman, junior and senior years but attended Baker High School in Mobile when his family moved to Alabama when he was a sophomore.

Catawba, a Christian based institution that competes on the Division II level in the South Atlantic Conference, finished the 2018 season with a 4-7 record.

Indians head coach Curtis Walker said he was impressed with Lovett’s character and how well he performed during his visit to the Salisbury, North Carolina based campus.

“Kendall Lovett is a good athlete that will fit in well with what we do defensively,” Walker said. “He is a big kid who is physical and can run. We expect him to be in the mix with multiple positions in the defensive background.”