Kenzy West signs to play for the University of Houston

Port Gibson native and Hartfield Academy football player Kenzy West Jr. has signed to play at the University of Houston. West officially signed earlier this week as he made his next move official.

In the 2024 football season, West led the Hawks to a 12-2 season where they went on to win the MAIS State Championship. They defeated Jackson Prep 19-14 in the close championship game. West had a great performance in his final game as he finished with three touchdowns and 176 yards.

For his performance in the state championship, West earned the Junction Deli Metro Jackson Football Player of the Week honors. He caught the ball seven times for 104 yards and picked up 72 rushing yards, including three touchdowns.

West has been instrumental for the Hawks all season on both sides of the ball. In his senior year, he finished with 1,568 all-purpose yards and 25 total touchdowns. He finished with 832 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. He also had nearly 300 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns while picking up major yards on special teams.

The 2024 season is not West’s only championship season with Hartfield. In 2023, he led the Hawks to an undefeated 14-0 record where he had 925 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. He also averaged 15.2 yards per punt and 26.4 yards per kickoff return.

West chose to sign with Houston over other schools such as Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Alcorn State, Jackson State, Arkansas, LSU, Texas A&M, Duke, North Carolina State, Memphis, South Alabama, Louisiana Tech, Arkansas State, Western Kentucky, Toledo, Akron, Alabama-Birmingham, Grambling State, Jacksonville State, Samford, and Liberty, according to Mississippi Scoreboard.