Gwinnett Daily Post

Who knew football would mean all of this for Francis Kallon?

Until last summer, the Central Gwinnett lineman was an anonymous teenager who relocated with his family from his native England. Then he joined the Black Knights' football team for offseason workouts, where the 6-foot-5, 255-pounder's size and athletic ability brought college recruiters from all over the country.

With that status also came media spotlight.

Kallon, a Georgia Tech recruit, spent Wednesday's signing day doing interview after interview with TV, radio, print and internet reporters. The frequent media attention has been his life since last summer, so he's used to it.

"The media attention has been incredibly overwhelming," Kallon said after completing a TV interview at Lawrenceville's Old Town Tavern. "To go from not being known to where everybody wants to speak with you was a big change. I've just tried to stay humble and stay grounded despite all the media attention."

Despite his preseason commitment to Georgia Tech, Kallon also continued to get hounded by college recruiters hoping to sway him from that decision.

As signing day approached, Notre Dame, Florida State, Auburn and Vanderbilt maintained their interest in Kallon. Notre Dame and Florida State pushed hard to get Kallon on a visit last weekend to no avail.

"At the end of the day, I'm a man of my word," Kallon said of staying true to Tech. "My commitment was my word. I knew that and I knew all of the reasons why I committed to Georgia Tech."