Jake Hamby Signs with Lindenwood University-Belleville
Wartburg Central High School senior Jake Hamby was surrounded by former teammates and friends as he signed to play football for Lindenwood University in Belleville, Illinois, on Friday, March 1. Hamby is one of more than 300 Tennessee high school athletes who signed to play football at the college level. Lindenwood is a private, liberal arts institution and its Belleville campus serves approximately 2,300 students.
Lindenwood-Belleville has 34 athletic programs and is one of the largest athletic programs in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). For football, Lindenwood is affiliated with the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA). After a 0-11 record in 2018, Lindenwood hired new head coach Pat Stewart. Seven of the eleven teams that Lindenwood played in 2018 were at one point in the year receiving votes or ranked in the top 25.
Hamby was a standout defensive lineman/linebacker on the 2018 Wartburg Bulldog team that had its best record since 2012 and earned a playoff berth for the first time since 2011. Hamby was credited with 35 tackles, two interceptions, and one sack for the season. Hamby was named to the coaches All Region 2-2A 1st Team for 2018.
Hamby will be joining Wartburg teammate Josh Moore, who previously signed to play football for Lindenwood-Belleville. When asked what this means to him, Hamby replied “It means everything to me – a great opportunity for our school and for me and Josh to play together at the next level.”