Pensacola Catholic's C.J. Nettles has verbally committed to play college football.
Nettles announced on Friday on social media that he has committed to Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. The Paladins compete in the Southern Conference, and won the 1988 Division I-AA (now known as the FCS) National Championship, and were a runner-up in both 1985 and 2001.
Furman also won the 2023 Southern Conference championship, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship.
"The coaches, they just brought me in and made me feel like a part of the team," Nettles told the PNJ. "The players, they're all-around good people. It feels like home there."
Nettles received the offer from Furman on May 9, and went on a visit to the campus the weekend of June 8.
He chose Furman over numerous other offers, including Liberty University, North Alabama, Florida Atlantic and Florida A&M, among others.
"The players are very hard-working, and the coaches are big about education with their players. Education is very important to me," Nettles said of the visit. "The facilities, they're nice. It definitely gets the job done. ...
"The coaches have been really supportive."
Nettles joins Jeremiah Shelby as a Pensacola Catholic standout to verbally commit to a college this week.
Nettles is coming off a junior season with the Crusaders where was the team's second-leading rusher with 852 yards in nine games. He recorded 10 touchdowns on the ground, while adding 152 yards receiving.
Nettles noted he had an ankle injury last season that limited his field time, but he still had a few key games. "I'm ready to go now," Nettles quickly added.
Notably, he recorded three touchdowns and ran for 215 yards in Pensacola Catholic's season-opening overtime win at Navarre. He also ran for 187 yards with a touchdown in Pensacola Catholic's Region 1-2S semifinals game at Walton.
"It's a big weight off my shoulders. ... I found where I need to go," Nettles said of having his commitment entering his senior season. "I'm able to focus on my schoolwork and just playing football now that I'm committed."
Pensacola Catholic went 11-3 during the 2023 and made it to the Class 2S state semifinals, falling in heartbreaking fashion to Bradford in overtime.
“I’m very excited. I didn’t get to play a whole lot last year. I’m coming back better than ever. … We’re trying to go all the way this time," Nettles said. "We’re a very young team, so it’s good that we have a lot of returners and guys coming back. We’re essentially the same team."
Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.
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