CBHS lineman Cantu heading to Ole Miss

Nic Cantu first saw the passion of Ole Miss football as a young boy. Now that he’s a young man, he’ll get to be part of it.

Cantu — the standout class of 2018 offensive lineman at CBHS — announced via Twitter Sunday that he’ll be playing his college football for the Rebels, the same school where his father Herkey played in the early 1990s.

In a heartfelt post that accompanied his announcement, Cantu said it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

“I fell in love with football when I was 9 years old,” he posted. “It was the first time I saw Ole Miss beat LSU. I remember how happy my father was ... (and) I remember thinking, ‘why is he so happy?’

“Then it struck me; it was his passion for football. His passion for the game really hit me and made me always want to be passionate for football.”

The 6-5, 307-pounder was instrumental in CBHS’ success last season as the Brothers won their first 11 games before losing 14-7 to Montgomery Bell Academy in the Division II-AAA semifinals. He joins fellow senior Ryan Winkel — who signed with Arkansas in February — as Brothers’ linemen who will play in the SEC next year.

According to 24/7 Sports, Cantu had offers from Southeast Missouri State and Western Illinois along with interest from Illinois State, Memphis and Southern Miss.

Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas