Armant signs with Missouri Southern

Fri. February 03, 2012 at 10:18 a.m. | By Teddy Renois/Staff Writer

ST. JAMES — A Louisiana connection and an injury led St. James football player Kenneth Armant to Missouri Southern State University.
After a solid junior season, Armant peaked the interests of several Football Championship Subdivision programs as a running back prospect.
Armant hoped to have a solid senior season, then land a scholarship with a FCS program on “National Signing Day.”
Armant’s aspirations didn’t quite work out the way he expected.
Armant, a running back, broke his leg in August which ended his senior season and ended the interests from several FCS schools.
However, not all college recruiters forgot about Armant’s ability and on Wednesday he signed a National Letter-of-Intent with Missouri Southern.
Armant said that former Nicholls State head coach Jay Thomas was recruiting him for Northwestern State, but when Thomas was hired as defensive coordinator at Missouri Southern, he stuck with Armant and made an offer.
Missouri Southern hired former Nicholls head coach Daryl Daye as its head coach after the 2011 season and former Nicholls player and defensive line coach Dustin Gisclair is also on the Lions staff.
“It came about because I knew Coach Thomas, and he was recruiting me for Northwestern State. He got the job at Missouri Southern, and that is how I got a scholarship,” Armant said. “I didn’t go visit Northwestern State, but I did visit Missouri Southern and that is when I got the offer. It is obvious that I will be around good people. Even though it is far away, I felt right at home on campus.”
Missouri Southern is a Division II program located in Joplin, Missouri.
Even though FCS schools lost interests in Armant after his injury, he still has other programs wooing him.
“I had contact with Louisiana Tech, Henderson State and Chadron State. Louisiana Tech didn’t offer, but I got an offer from Henderson State and Chadron State,” Armant said. “I did visit Henderson State, but I really liked it better at Missouri Southern. A lot of schools fell off me after I broke my leg. That is why I had to go to a lower division, but I’m cool with it.”
Armant wasn’t the only player Missouri Southern plucked from Louisiana. The Lions signed four other players from Louisiana, and Armant said that should help in adjusting to his new surrounding.
One thing that Armant will adjustment to quickly is Missouri Southern’s offense.
When Daye and Thomas were at Nicholls, the Colonels ran a triple-option offense and Armant said that will be the offense at Missouri Southern which fits his skill set.
“They talked to me about playing multiple positions. They want me to punt return, kick return and play running back. I can also catch the ball out of the backfield and that is one of my strengths,” Armant said. “It is the just like the offense I ran in high school, so it isn’t going to be that big of an adjustment for me.”