NB's Elmore signs to play football at Kentucky Wesleyan

HEBRON ESTATES - North Bullitt senior D.J. Elmore will get his dream as he will play football at the next level after signing a National Letter of Intent last week to attend Kentucky Wesleyan University in Owensboro.

Mike Farner

Signing with Wesleyan - North Bullitt senior linebacker/running back David Elmore is flanked by his parents and grandparents on Thursday along with North Bullitt coaches as he signs to play football at Kentucky Wesleyan University in Owesboro.

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Kentucky Wesleyan made the first contact with the Eagle football program according to North Bullitt head coach Brett Newton and they knew what they were looking for. The team already has former North Bullitt player Corey Downing on its roster.

Before making a final decision, Elmore also considered contacts from Purdue, Campbellsville, Ball State and Murray State. He ended up visiting Kentucky Wesleyan and Campbellsville before making a final decision.

The 18-year old son of David and Ellen Elmore will be getting roughly a half scholarship from the NCAA Division II program. There will also be some additional grants and academic aide that will make attending the school almost a free ride.

At college, Elmore plans to major in Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy.

“When I visited Kentucky Wesleyan it was nice and I met all the players and the linebackers were great guys,” Elmore said after the signing ceremony in the school’s library. “Everything there is close together.”

As a player at North Bullitt, Elmore was a standout linebacker for four seasons. He became better known late in his junior season and throughout his senior season when he added duties in the backfield as the fullback for the Eagles.

That move made Elmore the lead blocker for standout tailback Dalton Cissell, the ninth leading rusher in state history.

Even with that job, Elmore rushed for 358 yards during his senior season. The highlight came in the second round of the state play-offs when Elmore rushed for 99 yards in a victory over Valley.

“The Valley game,” Elmore said when asked about his favorite memory from playing at North Bullitt. “I played both sides and didn’t come off the field. Dalton got hurt and we took it to them.”

Still, under Kentucky Wesleyan head coach Brent Holsclaw and linebacker coach Erik Salisbury, Elmore will probably stick to defense.

“I’d say he’ll be an outside linebacker,” Newton said. “He has a great ability to get to the quarterback. He had six or seven blocked kicks and led us in sacks and tackles this year.

“He is a very aggressive kid on defense,” the coach added. “He is one of the most aggressive I’ve coached over the past five years.”

Elmore did not start the first day he arrived but he did see a lot of action as a freshman in the defense run by assistant coach Mike Hall.

“He was my biggest supporter,” Elmore said of Hall. “He got me the starting position. He wanted to prove that a younger player could step in and take over for a senior.”

Elmore never moved out of the starting defensive spot once he found a home.

The player also wanted to thank former head coach Don Biggs who still teaches at North Bullitt.

“He has helped me a lot and taught me a lot,” Elmore noted.

At the ceremony on Thursday in the school library, Elmore was joined by his parent as well as his grandparents, Bob and Rita McGlasson. The player also has two siblings, 15-year old James (Fussy), who plays on the football team as well as a sister, Marissa, who attends Zoneton Middle School.