From Brave to Buffalo, Welch on his way to Boulder

Dec. 21—The emphasis was on the free education, on how family made the difference through love to get a young man on the right path, and, yes, an amazing football talent.

There was no flipping in Milledgeville Wednesday, only clapping and celebrating. Before the 2023 Baldwin High football season began, the All-State running back named Micah Welch made his choice to take his next step in life a couple of time zones to the west at the University of Colorado. On the first day for prospects such as Welch to sign the National Letter of Intent with their chosen school, the fine arts auditorium of Baldwin High had plenty of gold colors and a lot of smiling faces.

Welch is indeed going from Brave to Buffalo. All much older, he had brothers and sisters there as well as his father Lonnie, his uncles and aunts, including one extremely special and important to the build up to this day, Regina Hill. Micah Welch lost his mother at a young age, well before he could play organized football, and it was Aunt Regina who took on the task of raising the youngster.

Family members, his pastor and school personnel from his coach Jesse Hicks to his principal Jason Flanders to the Baldwin School Superintendent Dr. Noris Price had things to say about Micah Welch and to Micah Welch. They love him, he made their lives better, they will always be there if and when he needs them, and said to leave Colorado only after making a major impact on the program and with college degree in hand.

That journey is going to start sooner rather than later, for Welch is scheduled to graduate early and enroll at Colorado in January.

"My plan is to get in there early," said Welch. "I'm leaving the second week of January. I've been over there twice, during the summer for my official visit and for their last home game of the season. I love it."

The conditions were not cold, but "smooth" to Welch, not to mention the beautiful natural scenery of Boulder one can see during a televised game. And there were a lot of eyes on Colorado football in 2023 when a Hall of Fame player in both college football and the National Football League, Deion Sanders, took over. Welch could certainly tell a difference in the air based on the high altitude, but it's the coach and the football program that captured his attention.

"Play for a coach who looks like me," said Welch about his decision. "He went where I want to go. I just want to have the opportunity to play at the highest level."

Welch has a perspective of the ultra-charismatic Sanders that most do not.

"Coach is a real humble dude," he said. "He can help me on and off the field. Like I said, he's been where I want to go. He'll be a good role model.

"Everybody in the program is good ... willing to win."

Welch is entering Colorado, and all of major college football, at a turning point in the sport's history. The Buffaloes are re-joining the Big 12 Conference from the Pac-12 along with Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. They will compete with them and the likes of Kansas, Kansas State, TCU and a few schools somewhat close to Georgia like UCF in Orlando, Cincinnati, Houston and West Virginia.

Welch's senior season at Baldwin ended abruptly with a toe injury, but he was first-team All-Region 2-AAAA with 895 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He was the region's Offensive Player of the Year as a junior with 1,373 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground, 1,600 all-purpose yards in all with additional touchdowns as a receiver and kick returner. That season he also had five quarterback sacks playing defense.

"Everything I dreamed of has happened," said Welch. "Ninth grade through 12th grade.

"I can do everything on the field. If you want me to block, I can block. If you want me to catch the ball out of the backfield, I can catch the ball out of the backfield."

The QB sack, though, is an "exciting" feeling. He does love to play defense and would do it for Sanders and the Buffaloes if asked. After all, a fellow Georgian who now plays in Boulder, Travis Hunter, will catch footballs as both a receiver and defensive back.

Welch plans to study communications in college, and once he gets to Colorado he will continue the training that's already started to get in shape, get into the classroom and also learn the playbook.

The Buffaloes are already getting a strong player. In one instance during the 2023 season, Welch in a way resembled Jalen Carter in Georgia's 2022 SEC Championship game when the tackle picked up and held LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels like a child, held up No. 1 and smiled. Welch, however, was not smiling, he had a football in one hand but still managed to carry a defender up and drop him to the turf.

"The guy was on my back and didn't want to get off, so I had to take him for that ride," said Welch. "Show him how strong I was."

Now Welch wants to show all those in his family and the Baldwin community their efforts were worth it.