Fantastic Fifteen: New school, same big dreams for Eric Spann

Eric Spann didn’t leave Monroe because he wanted to.

Life simply pointed him in a different direction.

When his mother moved and Monroe underwent a coaching change, the talented defensive back faced a difficult decision. Staying where he was comfortable or embracing a new opportunity at Dougherty.

He chose the challenge.

“I loved Monroe,” Spann said. “But with friends graduating, the coaching change and everything going on with my family, it just felt like the right time.”

Now the 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior hopes that decision becomes the first step toward an even bigger dream.

Spann has already committed to Georgia Southern, choosing the Eagles over 15 Division I scholarship offers after an official visit to Statesboro earlier this summer.

“The coaching staff really impressed me,” Spann said. “I believe they can help me develop and eventually get to the NFL.”

He plans to major in criminal justice while chasing that dream.

Football, he said, represents far more than a game.

“I’m hoping football can improve life for me and my family.”

Ironically, football wasn’t even his favorite sport growing up.

During middle school, Spann spent most of his time thinking about basketball.

Everything changed when he arrived at Monroe as a freshman.

He discovered a passion for football that has turned him into one of Southwest Georgia’s most sought-after defensive backs.

Last season, Spann filled the stat sheet with 76 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, proving he could impact a game in almost every way imaginable.

Those numbers attracted college recruiters from across the Southeast, but Spann never allowed recruiting to distract him from improving.

This offseason, he’s focused on refining the details that separate good defensive backs from great ones.

He’s worked extensively on man-to-man coverage, taking better pursuit angles and becoming a more consistent tackler in space.

Now he’ll bring those skills to a Dougherty team he believes is ready to surprise people.

Spann immediately noticed a difference after joining the Trojans.

“These guys want it more,” he said. “They’re hungry.”

That mentality convinced him he had made the right decision.

His arrival gives Dougherty one of the area’s premier defensive playmakers and an experienced leader in the secondary.

More importantly, it gives Spann one final opportunity to help change a program before beginning the next chapter of his football journey.

The son of a determined family who has supported him every step of the way, Spann knows his commitment to Georgia Southern isn’t the finish line.

It’s the beginning.

His goal isn’t simply to play college football.

It’s to use football to create opportunities that last long after his playing days are over.

Staff Photo: Sonja Stroyls