Joy, relief, and NFL dreams: Philly-area recruits make their college choices official on national signing day

Semaj Bridgeman and Rahmir Stewart summed up national signing day thus: a blessing and relief.

The Imhotep Charter football standouts sat side-by-side at a table during a signing day ceremony on Wednesday, facing a crowd of students, teachers, teammates, and family members inside the school.

The two are taking their talents to the Big Ten. Bridgeman, a linebacker, signed with Michigan, while Stewart, a safety, is joining Matt Rhule, who’s looking to turn around Nebraska’s program as head coach.

“Not too many people get this opportunity,” said Bridgeman, who’s ranked as the No. 4 recruit in the state. “Not too many have a family that’s behind them on this opportunity.”

» READ MORE: National signing day: Semaj Bridgeman, Jameial Lyons among the top local D1 signees

Bridgeman started his high school career at Bishop McDevitt in Wyncote. He transferred to Archbishop Wood at the end of the 2020-21 school year. The four-star recruit then joined Imhotep, looking to elevate his game while he was being recruited by Power Five programs.

“It’s a challenging and rewarding experience,” said his mom, Stacey Bridgeman. “You want to make sure whoever’s talking to your child they have their best interest at heart. It’s also keeping him grounded and humble to know that he has to carry himself a certain way.

“I’m just waiting to see how he continues to grow. It’s bittersweet, I’m going to miss my son, but it’s a joyous occasion.”

Stewart began his high school career at Imhotep, moving his way up the rankings to becoming the No. 1 safety in the state. He waited until Saturday to announce his college decision based on a conversation he had with Rhule that ended with, “We’re going to start something special.”

The three-star recruit is already envisioning success with the Cornhuskers.

“I want to make the All-American team, Big Ten Conference,” Stewart said, gesturing at his fingers to list off his goals. “Be top 25 safeties in college football regardless of class or grade, and win a Big Ten championship.”

After family members and teammates spoke of the duo’s success in a program that advanced to the PIAA Class 5A championship game this season, Imhotep head coach Devon Johnson gifted them with photos of the two playing football in their Panthers jerseys, suggesting they hang them up in their dorm rooms next fall.

“Your time at Imhotep may have come to an end, but it won’t be forgotten,” Johnson said. “Hopefully the next time we gather here together it’ll be for the NFL draft.”

» READ MORE: ‘It was stressful’: Northeast seniors Naquil Betrand and Tyrese Whitaker sign with Texas A&M and Temple

About six miles away from Imhotep, Northeast High School held a ceremony for their senior athletes.

Naquil Betrand signed with Texas A&M, while Tyrese Whitaker, who is Bridgeman’s former teammate at Archbishop Wood and Bishop McDevitt, is staying home to play for Temple.

“It feels great,” Whitaker said after the event, “but at the end of the day, I’m the type of person that when I get my next goal, I’ll have my excitement and then I’m on to the next step, and the next step is to get on the field and play college football. The step after that will be getting to the [NFL]. This is just an event for everybody to see that I made it, and now it’s time for the hard part: to play against the best of the best.”

Earlier this month, Whitaker tweeted that he had reopened his recruitment after having committed to Temple in June.

The move, he said, wasn’t about trying to go anywhere else. It was a protective measure. Betrand, a 6-foot-6, 325-pound offensive lineman, also kept his options open, although he had committed to the Aggies in August.

“It was stressful,” Betrand said. “Just sitting down and thinking to myself, ‘Is this the best fit for me? Is this school really for me?’ And I decided it really was.”

» READ MORE: Temple signs 25 players in first-ever Owls recruiting class for head coach Stan Drayton

Roman Catholic edge rusher Jameial Lyons (Penn State), offensive tackle Austin Ramsey (Kentucky), and linebacker Jordan Montgomery (Temple) made their college commitments official. Archbishop Wood’s Markus Dixon, a tight end, signed with Clemson.

North Penn wide receiver Yazeed Haynes also put pen to paper, becoming part of a Georgia Bulldogs class that is ranked as high as No. 2 in the country. Eastside defensive lineman Will Norman, the No. 3-ranked recruit in New Jersey, signed with Florida. Josiah Trotter (St. Joseph’s Prep) and James Heard (Camden) — once linebacker teammates for St. Joe’s Prep — along with offensive lineman Cooper Young (Downingtown West) signed with West Virginia.

» READ MORE: Roman Catholic edge rusher Jameial Lyons among top recruits in Penn State signing class

“He’ll be a guy that’ll play from our first game, and I really feel strongly about that,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown told reporters of Heard.

”I think he saw an opportunity to play and play early and how he was going to be used in a league that throws the football, and so that was a really good fit for him.”