Success has surrounded Terence Dunlap during his high school career, especially on the football field where he will continue playing after signing a letter of intent to Troy University during National Signing Day.

Dunlap made his announcement in the auditorium in front of the Maplesville student body.

He narrowed his search down to three teams and chose Troy over Rutgers and Tulane.

“I made the right decision for me, my family and my community,” Dunlap said. “It was a great experience.”

The recruiting process is unique depending on the player, but one thing that remains constant is the relationships that developed along the way, which can sometimes make the right choice a tough one.

“It’s hard to tell the other coaches that you’re not coming their university, because you’ve built a relationship with them as well,” Dunlap said.

Troy has followed Dunlap’s high school career closely over the past couple of years, after first showing interest during his sophomore year.

“I was really blown away by the coaching staff,” Dunlap said. “They’ve become more like family.”

He finished with 6,967 rushing yards and 112 touchdowns on the ground.

However, his stats also reflect his versatility with 450 yards and four touchdowns receiving, as well as eight interceptions and 50 tackles on the defensive side of the ball as a two-way player.

“He understood that discipline was not a problem, but instead something that made him stronger,” Maplesville head coach Brent Hubbert said.

Dunlap was the fifth Maplesville football player to sign with an FBS program.

“With team success comes individual honors,” Hubbert said.