Saxton Breaks Down the Decision
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On his 17th birthday, Wil Saxton Wil Saxton 6'4" | 325 lbs | OL Benton Academy | 2022 State MS decided to celebrate by making the biggest choice of his young life so far. The 6’4″ 310 pound interior lineman…
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Continue ReadingOn his 17th birthday, Wil Saxton Wil Saxton 6'4" | 325 lbs | OL Benton Academy | 2022 State MS decided to celebrate by making the biggest choice of his young life so far. The 6’4″ 310 pound interior lineman pulled the trigger and gave Coach Willie Taggart the call to commit to the Florida Atlantic University Owls. The Owls are getting a heck of a player in Saxton, who we had ranked as the 4th best OL in the state of Mississippi this past February. Saxton spent some time breaking down the decision with us that day.
FAU was the first school to extend an offer to Saxton. That went a long way in terms of his recruitment as well.
“I love the coaches and location. It has been FAU for a while,” said regarding why he made his decision.
Obviously Boca Raton, Florida is a hard spot for any person to turn down moving to. The beaches, water, and city life are one of a kind. The coaching staff at FAU is set up to be a pretty good one as well. With head coach Willie Taggart leading the charge, the Owls run a fun offense in a fun conference. Their style of recruiting made a huge impact on his commitment as well.
“They just telling me how much they loved me, and to come win in paradise!” said Saxton.
Taggart did a good job in year one as far as winning was concerned. The Owls finished second in the C-USA and played in the Montgomery Bowl in his first year as head coach. This FAU program was one that was at the top of its game with now Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, and fans are seeing that those days are returning with Taggart as well. In regards to the Florida Atlantic fan base, Wil Saxton Wil Saxton 6'4" | 325 lbs | OL Benton Academy | 2022 State MS had a couple things to let them know.
“I am nasty and will do whatever it takes to beat my man and help the team win. I am a very hard worker that they will be proud of,” said Saxton.
Fans of FAU are getting exactly what Saxton promises. It takes a special kind of player for a Florida school to come out of the state of Florida to recruit a player. He is a typical road grader on the offensive line with the athleticism to dominate anybody in his way. His ability to bend, change direction, and run in space will pay dividends in pass protection and in the screen game. Saxton is violent on initial contact and uses his raw strength to crush opposing defenders. He will be the kind of guy that dominates the weight room and probably hasn’t even sniffed the potential strength he has inside of him. In addition to all that, he can snap, which is an underrated quality as far as linemen are concerned. Saxton is an excellent prospect at the center position, and will see early play time very quickly.
Had fun competing this weekend at @SouthElite150 won OL MVP and went up against some top dudes. Keep trusting the process. @coachparker85 @NextGenAACamp @Rebels247 @GeneSwindoll @rrsports_cr @Rivals @247Sports @The_Prototyp @CollegeFBToday pic.twitter.com/wfcl3IjaO4
— Wil Saxton (@wil_sax10) December 14, 2020
Outside of football, Saxton has yet to decide on his college major. Florida Atlantic has a ton of great options in business, management, and science fields, so he will have plenty of options to choose from while taking classes close to the beach. While the college experience will be one to enjoy for Saxton, he is taking his time left in high school slowly.
“I probably won’t enroll early. I really want to enjoy my time at home and my whole senior year experience,” he said regarding the opportunity to graduate early and get down to campus.
Mississippi will get to watch Saxton one more time in his last season at Benton Academy, then he will be off to the Sunshine state. As he reflects upon his recruiting, Saxton had a list of people to thank.
“Just a big thank you to everyone that made this possible. Without all my coaches and teammates along the way, it would not have happened. Also, my parents have always sold out to get me to were I needed to be, even when they really did not have the time to. I will do everything I can to make them all very proud. #theFAU” said the now FAU commit.
Congratulations to Wil Saxton Wil Saxton 6'4" | 325 lbs | OL Benton Academy | 2022 State MS , his family, his coaches and his friends. The journey is just now starting!
FAU fans, check out his junior season highlights below to see what kind of player you are getting!