The two quarterbacks who played in the highest-scoring NCHSAA football championship game in state history last December have signed with North Carolina small-college programs for 2026.
Shelby’s Lan Farmer, who accounted for 10 total touchdowns in the Golden Lions’ historic 82-41 win over Kinston on Dec. 13, has inked with Gardner-Webb, joining the FCS program located just eight miles from his high school campus.
Kinston’s Tyler Jones, who threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns in the title game, signed with Mars Hill, a Division II program.
The Shelby–Kinston showdown was part of a memorable championship weekend that featured all eight NCHSAA state title games, which we recapped in our complete North Carolina high school football state championship coverage.
Prolific passers, historic 3A championship shootout
However their college careers pan out, Farmer and Jones will be forever linked in one of the most memorable NCHSAA title contests in the 100-plus years of the sport in our state.
Shelby and Kinston combined for 97 points in the opening half at Durham County Memorial Stadium, en route to erasing the previous record for the highest-scoring championship game in the NCHSAA record books (Raleigh 117, Asheville 0 in 1914).
Farmer lit up the skies all day, throwing for 459 yards, including 375 before halftime. The eventual championship game MVP tossed eight touchdown passes — tying a NCHSAA record for most in a postseason game — and rushed for two more scores.
Farmer exits high school football as Cleveland County’s all-time passing leader. He finished his prep career, according to HighSchoolOT, with 10,366 passing yards and 132 touchdown passes, accounting for 71 total touchdowns during his senior season alone.
At the time of the state championship game, Farmer was uncommitted. But Gardner-Webb and new head coach Kris McCullough moved to secure the hometown standout as part of a 41-member signing class.
“Lan is Mr. Cleveland County!” McCullough said in a signing day release. “He is an elite QB with a skillset that fits what our Air Option attack offense is.”
Gardner-Webb signed three quarterbacks in its 2026 class, also adding sophomore transfer Jared Doolittle (Upland, CA | Riverside CC) and incoming freshman Joey Gaston (Hightstown, NJ | Peddie School). Cole Pennington, a 2025 FBS transfer from Marshall, also has indicated he plans to return to Boiling Springs. Farmer should provide competition and athleticism to what is already a deep quarterback room.
FIRED UP for our initial class here at Gardner-Webb. This class of 2026, including early signing period signees, is the BEST signing class in the history of the GWU Football according to 247sports rankings. #FAMILLY #SkoDawgshttps://t.co/9hgNBwBNYN — Kris McCullough (@CoachK__Mac) February 4, 2026
Kinston’s Jones led the state in passing yards, TDs
While Shelby turned away Kinston’s state title aspirations, Jones still stood tallest among North Carolina passing leaders in 2025. Per MaxPreps, Jones led all of North Carolina in passing yards (4,424) and passing touchdowns (58). His yardage total ranked seventh nationally.
Jones finished his Kinston career with nearly 7,500 passing yards and 90 TDs.
Jones played a role in helping Kinston receiver Tyreek Copper, an NC State signee, make history of his own in 2025. Copper caught seven passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns in the title game, performances that pushed him to new North Carolina single-season records for receiving yards (2,104) and receiving touchdowns (32).
Mars Hill’s offense has been piloted the past two seasons by dual-threat quarterback JR Martin, who exhausted his eligibility following a standout 2025 campaign.
The Lions brought in three high school quarterbacks in the 2026 class, including Jones, Jaxson Kemp from Northern Guilford and Kyler Matthews from Ware County (GA). Kemp threw for 2,059 yards and 24 touchdowns during his senior season.
Their college paths will now diverge, but Farmer and Jones will always share a place in North Carolina high school football history — linked by one unforgettable night that redefined what was possible on the state championship stage.
👉 A full list of in-state FBS, FCS and Division II commitments can be found in our 2026 North Carolina high school football commitment tracker.
