Preston Hamilton, a native of Jasper County, is transferring to East Texas A&M after Limestone University announced it could have to close its doors due to a $6 million funding deficit.
Preston Hamilton stayed humble and optimistic about his future as a college athlete after the school he attended recently gave its students some unfortunate news.
"My dad always tells me to stay humble and stay hungry," he said. "If I put in the work, I will get the rewards of my labor. I am no stranger in overcoming obstacles. I have found that in adversity, you can find out just how strong you are."
Hamilton, a Jasper County native and 2022 Thomas Heyward Academy graduate, has been an honor student athlete since starting at Limestone University. He has been a member of the Saints defensive line since beginning his college career on the gridiron. He has a 3.5 GPA and is majoring in Strengthening and Conditioning/Exercise Science with a minor in Psychology. Hamilton had been attending Limestone on an academic and football scholarship.
He, along with around 1,600 other students at Limestone, were called into the Limestone Gymnasium for a meeting April 16 to hear the news that the school was in imminent danger of having to close its doors due to a $6 million funding deficit.
"After 179 years educating students in person, Limestone University is facing a critical turning point which may require transitioning to online only classes or at worst ceasing operations completely," a Limestone University news release said. "The university’s financial challenges stem from a combination of nationwide enrollment declines, rising costs, and long-standing structural pressures facing small, private institutions."
The university said, "the proposed $6 million emergency fund would stabilize operations and give the university the opportunity to pursue long-term solutions that preserve its on-campus identity."
According to an April 22 news release the Limestone Board of Trustees have stated there could be a possible funding source surfacing that might allow Limestone to remain open with on-campus and online classes.
“This possible funding solution has us all cautiously optimistic about the future of Limestone as both an in-person and online educator," said Randall Richardson, Chair of the Limestone University Board of Trustees. “Last week, we were at the brink of a possible closure or transition to online-only classes. Now, we are pausing that discussion so we can wait on more information about a potential financial lifeline. We want to emphasize, this is just a possibility at the current time.”
While there could be a flickering light and the end of the tunnel for Limestone University, Hamilton and his family made the decision to move forward with seeking a new school for his academics and athletics. Hamilton entered the transfer portal and recently visited East Texas A&M.
Hamilton received word April 23 he had received a full academic and football scholarship from East Texas A&M University, a Division One football team in the Southland Conference.
"My time at Limestone was definitely my season to get a solid foundation, to learn and further develop my skills," Hamilton said adding that he also wished to thank all of the coaches for allowing him to showcase his skills, but even more so for an environment that allowed him to be the best version of himself, mature, and handle his responsibilities in the classroom and on the field.
"A special shout out to Dr. Ross, program director for the Real Men Lead program that mentored me my freshman year and allowed me to be a peer mentor to other underclassmen," he said.
Hamilton is the son of Alti and April Hamilton of Gillisonville.
"Thank you, Limestone football, for the great opportunity and how you all took care of Preston for the last three years," April Hamilton said. "This is a bittersweet moment for us. We are super excited and thankful for the new journey. It is such a great feeling to see the dreams that we have talked about come to fruition. God will continue to guide and keep him."