West Alabama Football Signs Trio Of Tuscaloosa-Area Standouts

LIVINGSTON, AL — University of West Alabama football coach Brett Gilliland on Wednesday announced 18 high school student-athletes as part of its 2022 signing class. This bring the total to 32 new Tigers after UWA signed 14 in the early signing period in December.

Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.

Coming off a 7-4 season that saw the Tigers finish 4-3 in Gulf South Conference play, Gilliland hopes to build on the winning campaign. They will also look for more sustained consistency, after the Tigers started the 2021 season 6-0, before dropping four of its last five games.

"This class covers all positions and helps fill some holes within our roster," Gilliland said. "Adding these 18 young men to the 14 mid-year guys, who are already on campus, is a tremendous bonus to what is already in place for the 2022 Fall Season. We look forward to starting spring practice in the coming weeks and entering that phase of the spring semester."

Here's a closer look at the three local signees. For more on the entire class, click here.

Dalton Bailey, wide receiver | Sipsey Valley High School | 6'1 | 175 lbs

• Recorded 82 catches for 1,502 yards and 16 touchdowns during his senior year at Sipsey Valley.
• Recorded 127 tackles and three interceptions on defense.
• Named to the All-State First Team in AHSAA Class 5A.
• Over the course of his high school career, he snagged a total of 190 catches for 2,750 yards, 27 touchdowns, 226 tackles, and eight interceptions.
• A three-sport athlete and who helped lead his school to the Final Four in basketball.
• Also qualified for the state track meet in the long jump, 300-meter hurdles, and triple jump.
• He will graduate high school with a 3.9 GPA.

Landon Ball, defensive back | Aliceville High School | 6'1 | 190 lbs

• Team captain his senior year.
• Represented Aliceville in the North/South All-Star Game.
• Scored five touchdowns in one game to break the Aliceville High School record for single-game touchdowns during his junior year.
• Ball also led the Yellow Jackets in receiving yards and was named the team's "Clutch Player of the Year."

Malachi Pasteur, linebacker | Hale County High School | 5'11 | 200 lbs

• Led his team in sacks.
• Named Linebacker of the Year.
• Received A/B honor roll recognition, in addition to the Leadership Award, and the Community Service Award for helping elementary school students with events.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com