Hard work on the football field is beginning to pay off for one Escambia County Blue Devil after he received a scholarship offer Wednesday night.

Blue Devils junior quarterback and safety Rico Stallworth was offered his first scholarship by way of the University of South Alabama Jaguars Wednesday night at the Blue Devils’ field house.

The offer came from the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator Bill Clark.

Stallworth’s head coach Mark Heaton said the offer came after the coaches at USA learned of Stallworth’s move to safety.

“I spoke with coach (Brian) Turner, who stopped in for a recruiting visit,” Heaton said. “He asked about Rico and I told him about moving him to safety. He then told coach Clark who then drove up with defensive backs coach Duwan Walker. They met Rico and got to see the kind of kid he is and they told me they would call that night. They called that night and offered him a full athletic scholarship.”

The offer, which is the first of possibly several for Stallworth comes a great time for not only Stallworth, but his team.

Heaton said it is a big step for the Blue Devils program.

“It’s huge for this program and a huge step for Rico,” Heaton said. “With Rico getting this offer, it will open up the door for more coaches visiting our games and practices to see our guys. First, we need to make sure everyone is eligible academically, so coaches will see they are worth a scholarship.”

For Stallworth, the offer is exciting and helps him see what he has to focus on.

He said that getting a scholarship offer is something that makes him want to work harder.

“It feels good that I received that offer,” Stallworth said. “I’m going to work hard in school and on the field, so I can earn more offers.”

As for the possiblity of playing for the coahces he met with, Stallworth said he could tell the kind of people they are.

“I thought they were great,” Stallworth said. “They told me what they would want from me, and showed me a great amount of respect, and I did the same to them.”

Before he can start mulling over this offer and the possiblity of others, Stallworth wants to improve his skills in the classroom.

He said that he wants to make sure his grades are good as well as his ACT score, and added that he will show strong leadership for his team.

“I know what I have to do if I want to make good on my scholarship,” Stallworth said. “I’’m going to work hard in the classroom and do well on my ACT. On the field, I’m going to be a team leader. I’m going to help my team, and make sure all the guys know what is going on.”