Over the years, plenty of colleges have swooped into Warren County to recruit players.

Big schools. Small schools. Two-year and four-year colleges, in-state and out.

Warren County signees

Vicksburg High

Jarvis Holmes, Miss. Valley

Les Lemons, Hinds

Malcolm Butler, Hinds

William Henderson, East Miss.

Warren Central

Cordell Valentine, Hinds

Jared Thames, Hinds

Danny Bunch, Hinds

Jamie Anderson, SW Miss.

* Chris Payne, South Alabama

* Transfer from Co-Lin C.C.

One that never seemed to find a footing, was Mississippi Valley State. It had been nearly two decades since the Itta Bena school signed a player from Warren County straight out of high school.

The drought finally ended on Wednesday.

Vicksburg High offensive lineman Jarvis Holmes signed a national letter of intent with Valley, the only county high schooler to send his papers to a four-year college.

“I took a visit to Valley and it felt like home. I like the coaching staff and the atmosphere,” said Holmes, who played guard and tackle for the Gators.

Former Warren Central offensive lineman Chris Payne, who has spent the last two years at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, signed with South Alabama. Porters Chapel kicker Jason Greer said he was weighing an offer to walk on at Division II Arkansas-Monticello against a scholarship offer from Holmes Community College.

Seven other Warren County players — Vicksburg’s Les Lemons, Malcolm Butler and William Henderson, and WC’s Jamie Anderson, Cordell Valentine, Danny Bunch and Jared Thames — signed with junior colleges. Lemons, Butler, Valentine, Bunch and Thames all signed with Hinds. Anderson signed with Southwest Mississippi, and Henderson sent his papers to East Mississippi.

While the bulk of Warren County’s Class of 2009 opted to go the two-year route, Holmes stood out — and not just by his decision to go to a four-year school. He’s the first Warren County player to go from high school to Valley since the mid-1980s. Former Gator Roderick Erves, a fullback, played at Valley in 2006 but did not go there straight out of high school.

Holmes was first turned on to Valley by family friend David Linzy, who graduated from there in 1986.

“He had the height and size to play Division I ball, whether it’s at Valley or another school. It’s just putting him out there and meeting people,” Linzy said. “You’ve got quite a few people from here that are an alumnus of Valley. You just have to get out there and sell the school.”

New Hinds coach Gene Murphy apparently did a good job of selling his school. In his first recruiting season since returning to the head coach’s role after a five-year retirement, Murphy signed five players from Vicksburg. Three of those — Lemons, Butler and Bunch — were on Hinds’ list of protected players from the area, meaning they could not sign with any of the state’s other junior colleges.

“One reason was my uncle was in the NFL and he went to Hinds. He inspired me,” said Bunch, whose uncle, Michael Myers, went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL after two seasons with Murphy at Hinds in the early 90s. “He told me that Hinds was a good program, and they’ve got the same coach.”

Bunch figures to play offensive tackle at Hinds. Valentine, a receiver, and Thames, a kicker, also won’t have to change positions. Lemons and Butler, though, weren’t sure what they would play.

Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com.