Harrisburg wide receiver Hunter Cole signed a national letter of intent on Wednesday to play football next year at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar. 

The senior was a member of the 2022-23 team, which won the Lewis & Clark Conference title for the first time, during which time he emerged as the favorite target of quarterback Trace Combs. The trend continued this fall as the senior hauled in 34 catches for 775 and 12 touchdowns until a torn ACL in week 7 sidelined him for the season.

Despite the injury, Cole has persevered and declares he is ahead of schedule on his rehabilitation. He hopes to be cleared to compete in at least the second half of track season before beginning summer football workouts.

“It was a long journey, for sure. It’s hard mentally and physically to get through that,” Cole said on signing day. “But I made it through. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and it worked out for me.”

Cole said he is excited to attend Southwest Baptist next season and expects to be a slot receiver for Robert Clardy, who has been head coach of the Bearcats for nine seasons.

“I visited a couple of schools, but for SBU, the culture was the main thing. Very good people with good goals in mind, and everyone is pulling on the same rope,” Cole said. “It’s a place where I can see myself in the future being a better football player and a better person.”

Cole said he has met and built relationships with the coaches and other players in his recruiting class. One of those players is Tyler Fleetwood from Cabool, against whom he played in the season opener the past two seasons.

Brennan Claas, who came on as head coach this season, agrees that Southwest Baptist will be a good fit. “He’ll do whatever it takes to get on the field,” Claas said. “He always did that for us, so I’m sure he’ll do that for the next coaching staff.”

SBU, an NCAA DII program, finished 4-7 overall a year ago and 3-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

“They’re moving in the right direction. There’s more commitment to the football program than there has been. And that’s good to see,” Claas said. 

“It’s the hard work and dedication he’s put in during the last eight or nine years in the weight room and on the field. He worked tremendously hard.”

On signing day, Cole even received a shout-out from Missouri Governor Mike Parson, who happened to be touring the Harrisburg school district that day. Cole was wearing his SBU shirt in the front row as the governor addressed the student body. All of a sudden, Parson turned and asked, “Are you going to SBU? See you in Bolivar, that’s where I live. Congratulations.”

Steve Hopkins, who coached Cole’s first three seasons before retiring, recalled summer practices before Cole’s freshman season, when the young receiver was on the fence about playing. “We ran about six patterns in a row, and he caught all of them. And he kind of said, ‘I think I can do this.’

Hopkins then looked to his former player. “You definitely can,” he said.

Cole signed his letter before a room full of coaches, teammates, school administration, friends, and family members. While at SBU, he plans to focus on marketing while majoring in business administration.