It may have taken a little extra time, but Hunter Loyd found the place for him and not too far from home.

The Rogers High senior quarterback made it official, signing a letter of intent to play football at Central Arkansas during a ceremony Wednesday in the school's commons area.

he 6-foot-4, 200-pounder had verbally committed to Missouri State but de-committed in mid-December and reopened his recruitment.

He then took a visit to the UCA campus in Conway and was offered a scholarship on the spot.

"It just ended up being home," Loyd said. "Everything felt normal."

It didn't hurt that UCA isn't far from home, either.

"Somewhere close is something I wanted to do," Loyd said. "I wanted to be close to my mom and dad and my sister."

He will leave Rogers as the all-time leading passer, throwing for more than 7,000 yards and 70 touchdowns. But Loyd believes he can go in and compete for playing time with the Bears, who compete in the Southland Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Rogers coach Mike Loyd couldn't be happier for his players who earned the opportunity to play college football.

"Division I is less than one percent, and Division II is less than two percent," said Mike Loyd, who played quarterback in the NFL. "It's a great day when you set a goal and you get to achieve it, and these guys did that. I think the better football is in front of all of them."

Hunter Loyd's teammates Jack Gilbreath and Mason Ross also inked letters of intent. Gilbreath, a three-year starter on the offensive line, signed with Central Missouri. Ross, who finished as the leading receiver in school history, inked with Arkansas Tech.

The 6-foot-2, 280-pound Gilbreath could get on the field early for Central Missouri if not on the offensive line then as a deep snapper, which also caught several college's attention, coach Mike Loyd said.

But the Division II school in Warrensburg, Mo., was a fit not just because of football, Gilbreath said.

"I first went up there to look at it as a school," Gilbreath said. "They have the degree I want, which is construction management. I went up there in the summer for football camp and really fell in love with it."

Ross also visited Missouri Southern and Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo., before settling on Arkansas Tech.

The 5-10, 170-pound receiver said paying more attention to details contributed to his big senior season in which Ross earned all-state honors. He finished with more than 100 receptions and more than 1,300 yards receiving with 18 TDs this season.

"I think a lot of it was running really good routes, listening to the coaches and just trusting in what they were trying to do and just catching the football," Ross said.
