Jackson Free Press

Anthony Alford was one of the most coveted football and baseball recruits coming out of Petal High School in the 2011-12 school year. Gatorade named him its Player of the Year in both his junior and senior years, the first time a player in Mississippi had ever accomplished that feat.

When Alford signed with Southern Miss after leading the Panthers to the 6-A title during his senior season, it was a major recruiting coup. Alford joined his former head coach Steve Buckley, who was with the Golden Eagles.

Because Alford was committed to playing college football for Southern, the Toronto Blue Jays waited to draft him until the third round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. If he had just wanted to play baseball, he would likely have been drafted higher. However, teams were afraid they were not going to be able to sign him.

Southern Miss signing Alford seemed like a chance to ease the transition of new Southern Miss coach Ellis Johnson, who took over for Larry Fedora after he left for North Carolina. A college career at what was basically Alford's home school started off with high optimism among fans. However, Alford's time at USM did not end on such a high note.

As Southern Miss struggled with one of the worst seasons in the school's history, expectations and frustrations began to mount. Things continued to get worse for USM and Alford as the team got off to a 0-6 start.

In late October, after USM fell to 0-7 in a humiliating 59-24 loss against Marshall, Alford's mother Lawanda Ann Alford was arrested for getting into to verbal confrontation with a Golden Eagle fan. The incident, which someone caught on cell phone video, was over the fan allegedly bad-mouthing her son's play on the field.

As the dreadful season went on, Alford dealt with knee and ankle injuries that kept him off the field or limited his ability to make plays. Southern Miss ended the season with 0-12 record, leading to the university firing Johnson at the end of the season.

USM's 2012 season had no bright spots, but Alford led the team in passing with 667 yards while completing 57 of 127 passes with two touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for 329 yards and six touchdowns.

Alford's time at Southern Miss ended when he was arrested and charged with assault in late November in an on-campus incident. The school suspended him and he received reduced charges.

New Southern Miss head coach Todd Monken released Alford from his scholarship as the arrest effectively ended this time as a Golden Eagle. Alford then enrolled at Ole Miss to continue his football career, but due to NCAA transfer rules, Alford had to sit out the 2013 season Alford went from quarterback to safety and had limited play-time in the 2014 season. When his football career was not turning out the way he had hoped, Alford left the Rebels just a few days before Ole Miss won one of the biggest wins in school history over No. 1 University of Alabama.

Alford gave up on football to chase his baseball dream. One of the most highly recruited football players in Mississippi history became just another Minor League Baseball prospect trying to move up the ranks of the system.

The former Mississippi-Alabama All-Star participant spent this past winter in Australia playing winter ball to get back into baseball form. Since signing with the Toronto Blue Jays, Alford has played in just 25 minor league games.

Alford is currently in Lansing, Mich. on the disabled list at Toronto's A-Level Club, the Lansing Lugnuts. People still consider Alford one of the top 20 prospects of the Blue Jays.

He is far from the bright lights of Saturday college football, but still has a chance to fulfill the athletic promise he showed at Petal High School just a few short years ago.