Langston signs with Guilford

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on May 13, 2005 1:32 PM

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The Rosewood High-Guilford College football pipeline continues.

The Eagles' all-time leader in passing yardage and touchdown tosses, quarterback Danny Langston, has decided to take his game to Guilford College next fall.

Langston will join former teammate Troy Smith, a Guilford sophomore, on the current roster.

"I think it will be a lot easier going to Guilford knowing Troy, who is a great influence," said Langston about his former center. "It should help me out a lot getting used to college."

The tradition doesn't just begin there.

All Guilford graduates -- Dottie Hobbs (RHS Principal), Daniel Barrow (head football coach/athletics director), Eric Holsonback (assistant football coach) and Josh Smith (assistant baseball coach) -- were in attendance at Langston's signing on Thursday afternoon at Rosewood.

Barrow, Holsonback and Josh Smith, also a quarterback, all played for the Quakers.

"Coach Smith, who just graduated from Guilford, sat down and talked to me," Langston said. "He said he had a good experience there as well as a good education. That had a big part in me going to Guilford."

The last three Rosewood quarterbacks, Smith, Daniel Barrow, Jr. and now Langston have went on to play college football.

For his career, Langston ranks first in passing (2,737 yards), first in touchdown passes (42) and third in total offense (3,386). During an all-conference and first team News-Argus senior campaign, he tossed for a school-best 1,660 yards with 26 touchdown tosses.

Langston's favorite of these accomplishments?

"The touchdown passes. I don't mind throwing some of them," he said.

Langston, the son of Donna Mercer and Danny Langston, Sr., also shined in the classroom with a 4.0 grade point average. He plans to major in business administration.

In March, Kevin Kiesel took over in place of 14-year coach Mike Kethum at the helm of the Division III, Old Dominion Athletic Conference program.

"Danny is a talented quarterback that will certainly help us here at Guilford College," Kiesel said. "He has a very capable arm as well as being a very intelligent player. We are thrilled he has picked Guilford College."

The Quakers went just 1-9 last season and 1-5 in ODAC play.

"It's a new coaching staff, so everybody's new," Langston said. "The best player will play no matter freshman or senior. Hopefully I can jump in there as soon as possible."

Langston directed an offense his senior year that put up more points than all but two teams in the four conferences in the News-Argus coverage area -- the Carolina and Super Six (1-A), Eastern Plains (2-A) and Eastern Carolina (3-A).

Only perennial powers Wallace-Rose Hill and West Craven posted more points than Rosewood in 2004. The Eagles (5-6) finished 5-1 in Carolina play.

"I think he has been in the mold of our previous quarterbacks," Barrow said. "He's an intelligent player. He understands the game and makes good decisions. He also understands that the achievements he gets is because of the folks around him.

"He's a very humble young man."