LAURINBURG — The recruitment process is complete for Syheam McQueen and Tyshuon Thomas, two key contributors for Scotland’s football program over the last four years.
McQueen is fine with that.
“No more hard decisions,” McQueen said after signing his letter of intent to play football at Western Carolina University.
The running back joined teammate Tyshuon Thomas in the school’s media center as both players made their college decisions official on Wednesday morning. Thomas, a defensive back, signed with the University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s football team.
Head coach Richard Bailey lauded both players for their accomplishments with the Fighting Scots. McQueen’s list of accolades includes Sandhills Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year Honors as a sophomore, as well as a pair of all-conference selections. Thomas earned all-conference recognition as a senior. Both athletes earned all-region honors after their senior season, which ended with a runner-up finish in the 4A state championship game.
McQueen caught the attention of several schools during his prep career. He received offers from Western Carolina and North Carolina A&T, as well as a conditional offer from North Carolina. Earlier in his career, McQueen fielded offers from NC State and South Carolina.
Thomas didn’t get nearly as much attention as Bailey thought he deserved. Bailey credited Thomas for being a role model on and off of the field, and he said Thomas will be a “gift” to UNCP’s program.
Thomas said the Braves “treated me like family” when he visited UNCP. Under the guidance of head coach Shane Richardson, who took the reigns of the program in 2014, the Braves finished 2-8 last season.
The defensive back said being an under-the-radar recruit makes him want to succeed at the next level.
“It gives me motivation to prove my doubters wrong,” Thomas said.
Thomas will be joined by seven other Scotland alums on UNCP’s roster. Quadrin Williams, Timon McMillan, Domenique Davis, Octavis McLaurin, Avery Simmons, Trey Dixon and Tre’von Gibson were all on the team’s 2018 roster.
Thomas tallied six interceptions in his two years on Scotland’s varsity squad. He collected 43 unassisted tackles and forced two fumbles.
The future Brave said he benefited from the mentorship of defensive backs coach Dominquie Green, who played college football at North Carolina.
McQueen, better known as “Smiley”, played running back and linebacker during his three years as a varsity player. As a running back, McQueen broke the 1,000-yard mark in his sophomore and senior campaigns. He accounted for a total of 44 touchdowns in his high school career, including a career-high 23 as a sophomore.
Despite dealing with a nagging MCL injury during his senior year, he played a crucial role in Scotland’s playoff run and scored two touchdowns against East Forsyth in the 4A state championship game.
Running the ball was McQueen’s primary duty, but he also logged eight tackles during his time at Scotland.
The Catamounts have one other Scotland grad on their roster. Offensive lineman Tyler Smith recently wrapped up his first year with the program.
McQueen said it didn’t take long for him to feel comfortable at Western Carolina, which is located in Cullowhee.
“I’m not much of a city person, so I needed to find a place that’s out of the way, like back home,” McQueen said.
