This is No. 5 in a month-long series of profiles of Arizona high school seniors that signed with four-year colleges. Here's the full list (currently totaling 232) of players from within the state moving on to the next level.

SPOTLIGHT: 2/10/22

In keeping tabs on the Recruiting Page throughout the year, I learn about many different Division II, III, and NAIA schools that sometimes, I haven't been familiar with. One such case this winter was with Quincy University.

The school is in Western Illinois along the Mississippi River. It has a Division II football team. It is also starting up an unconventional type of football called Sprint Football. QU is one of six schools that will be charter members of a new independent athletic conference called the Midwest Sprint Football League. The main difference in the game is that players have a 178-pound weight limit. The sport places a premium on speed and agility.

One of the schools in the MSFL that I saw a lot of offers come from was Midway (in Kentucky). However, I haven't seen anyone from Arizona sign there yet. Quincy did have a commitment and it came from Christopher Coty.

The Barry Goldwater cornerback/receiver had offers from both NAIA programs in the state (Arizona Christian and Ottawa). Other schools that extended one were Midway and Fontbonne (another MSFL team), along with a couple of the junior colleges in the Phoenix area (Salt River and Maricopa).

"I take a trip to Illinois on February 17th," Coty said in an e-mail interview. "I'm born and raised in Chicago, so I'm pretty comfortable with the area and how Illinois weather is. What led me to choose Quincy is it's very close back to home (300 miles southwest). I know a couple people that attended Quincy and I have heard lots of good things about the school and how they treat their athletes."

Coty has played football since he was six years old. He moved to Arizona from Illinois late in the summer before his junior year with the Bulldogs, which consisted of just six games in a COVID-shortened season. In his senior year, Coty had more of a chance to show his skills. On offense, he caught 13 passes for 206 yards on a Goldwater team that ran the ball 75 percent of the time. It was on defense where he made a mark with 27 tackles and lockdown coverage on receivers to gain Second Team All-5A Northeast Region honors.

Last season, the Bulldogs doubled their win total from two to four. Coty credits the whole Goldwater coaching staff and his teammates for his success, because "without any of them, none of this would be possible".

The level of high school football in Arizona has elevated over the past several seasons. Particularly in this first year of sprint football, Coty feels his experience of playing tough in-state foes will help.

"I'm already around that weight," Coty said. "I will be playing up against guys around my size and maybe a little bigger. I think it's something new and it's a great opportunity for guys that are not the typical weight of a high school senior football player."

Quincy has named Conner McLaughlin as its first head coach. He is a Quincy native and was a high school football head coach for Unity (Ill.). In 2019, Unity averaged 32 points per game and the following year, the team held opponents to 180 yards per game.

"I just want to thank the man above for everything, because without God and Faith, none of this would have been possible," Coty said. "I also want to thank the whole entire Goldwater coaching staff for everything they taught and coached me up on. I just want to give a huge shoutout to my family and friends, and especially my teammates."