St. Frances (Md.) RB Terron Kellman: “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be”

Georgia Tech had long-viewed the 2022 class as one in which they would sign multiple backs.

While he wasn't originally one of the select few that were being pursued, St. Frances (Md.) running back Terron Kellman continued flying under the radar even after arriving at his new school.

After his first game, on National TV against one of the top teams in the country, his phone lit up.

"@CoachChoice is now following you!" the notification read to Kellman .

With Kellman now committed to Choice, Collins, and Georgia Tech, that moment will be remembered forever.

"I called Coach Collins and we chopped it up a bit," Kellman said about the moment he let Collins know he was in. "He was telling me how much Coach Choice loves seeing me work, and how he thinks that I am going to kill it down there. He's excited to add me to the family, and to be real with you, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

To understand the context of the conversation between Kellman and Collins, let's rewind a bit for some background.

"They were the third school to pull the trigger, Georgia Tech was. After the first game vs. St. Thomas Aquinas on TV, Coach Choice had followed me on Twitter as soon as it had ended. I was on my phone when we were on our way to the airport. I saw the notification, and sent him a DM. That whole time we were at the airport, him and I were talking that whole time.

For about two or so hours, we went back and forth on there, and before I had to take off, we exchanged numbers. The next three weeks we would talk from time to time, just building a relationship. Then one day he had called me, and that was when he pulled the trigger on the offer. "

Kellman continued.

"Coach Choice, he has that good energy every time he calls," said Kellman. "We were talking about life, talking about life, and talking about life, and then at the end he (Choice) was like, 'Yeah, you know you got that offer, to come play for me at Georgia Tech' and he could tell just how excited I was. I told him I was thankful for him taking a chance on me. He is one of those people that wants the good out of everyone. Obviously, he wants you to be a great football player, but with him it is about so much more than that. He wants you to be a better man. I felt like had I picked anywhere else, things would have felt forced, you know? With him (Choice) and Collins, everything felt real from the start."

Kellman committing to Georgia Tech sight unseen may be a surprise to many, especially given the distance from Baltimore to Atlanta. With his relationship with Choice, and the ability to soon spend time with those in the RB room, Kellman has no doubts that he will fit right in.

"I haven't had the chance to talk to any of the RB's currently on the roster, but when I take my official in December, he is going to most likely put me with Jahmyr. Not 100% sure, but he said it will most likely be Jah. I would compare my play style the most to Jah. Man, I like watching Jah. He's a dude."

For Kellman, with offers from other schools such as Boston College, Kansas, and interest from several others, the decision in the end was about more than football.

"Football doesn't last forever, man. You have to have a plan for what life will look like after, or have a fall-back plan. The academics definitely played a huge factor for me."

With his schedule at St. Frances possibly impacting his ability to get to Atlanta to visit Georgia Tech for a game this season, Kellman is looking forward to a post-season OV where he can get the full experience.

"I am trying to get down there before my official in December to see a game, but our schedules kind of are interfering with each other. We are going to work something out. By taking the OV in December, I will be able to get the full experience. If they were to bring me in for an OV during a game, that would be cool to see the gameday atmosphere, but he wants me to see more. He wants me to see the campus, to see the facilities, experience the city, everything."

Kellman is still working to see if he will be able to enroll early after transferring schools prior to this season. Regardless of what happens with that, he sounds like someone locked in to being a Yellow Jacket.

"I'm shutting everything down, I am a Yellow Jacket," he said. "I am big on commitment. Once I commit to you, that's my word. I am a man of my word at the end of the day.