McComb signs to continue football career at Southwest Minnesota State University

Granite Hills High School senior quarterback Justus Mc­Comb appears to be building something special after receiv­ing a scholarship offer and signing to compete at the next level at Southwest Minnesota State University.

While the 2020-21 high school football season in Cali­fornia remains on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stu­dent-athletes continue to make plans for their future.

This Eagle wants to fly high.

McComb, who has passed for 2,779 yards with 26 touch­downs while rushing for 500 yards and tacking on seven rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons at the El Cajon school, said he made his deci­sion to commit to SMSU fol­lowing a “great zoom call” with Mustangs head coach Cory Sauter on Dec. 21.

“First off I want to say I am so blessed to have this oppor­tunity this year as kids just like me might not have these opportunities because of their struggles of this year,” Mc­Comb posted on his Twitter account (@justus_mccomb). “I want to thank my coach (Kel­lan Cobbs) for believing in me and giving me a shot when I had a lot of people telling me I couldn’t and a lot of doubt­ers, and everyone else that has believed in me and helped me along the way.

“I also want to thank my par­ents for everything they have done for me, sacrificing days and money so I can pursue my dreams. They have always been my biggest supporters and be­lievers. I also want to thank coach Sauter and SMSU for believing in me and giving me this great opportunity.”

McComb also cited his spiri­tuality in helping guide him along the path to success.

“Lastly, and most impor­tantly, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for this major blessing and opportunity in my life,” the Granite Hills senior said. “Throughout this process he has closed doors that I didn’t know why, but he has a plan for me, and I am so grateful for it. With that said I am 100 percent committed to Southwest Minnesota State University.”

“We are excited for him to be able to continue to grow as a player and as a person,” Cobbs said. “Not playing this year has been hard on all the seniors, so we are just excited that his football career will be able to continue. He has worked very hard to put himself in this posi­tion and we wish him the best of luck.”

McComb, who stands six feet tall and weighs 185 pounds, con­siders himself a dual-threat quarterback, attacking oppos­ing defenses with both arm and his feet.

McComb passed for 2,691 yards with 24 touchdowns and rushed for 494 yards and seven TDs as the Eagles finished 5-6 last season with a 25-26 loss to La Costa Canyon in the open­ing round of the Division I sec­tion playoffs.

He broke 10 school records during the 2019 season.

McComb has a career com­pletion rate of 60.4 percent and 99.2 quarterback rating. He has averaged 231.6 passing yards per game. His longest pass completion to date has been for 77 yards.

He is a three-sport athlete at Granite Hills, also competing in track and field and basket­ball.

The Eagles were scheduled to kick off the 2020-21 football season on Jan. 8 but that has since been revised due to ad­ditional protocols supplied by the California Department of Public Health.

The San Diego Section ex­pects to make an announcement on the 2020-21 high school foot­ball season this month.

Southwest Minnesota State University, located in the southwest part of the state, competes at the NCAA Divi­sion II level. The Mustangs par­ticipate in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for football.