Cerritos College sophomore quarterback Cody Clements spent the first two seasons out of high school waiting his turn at Washington State University. But when that opportunity never arose, he felt it was time to come back home and he landed with the Falcons as their starting quarterback for 2013. Given an opportunity to play, Clements led Cerritos to a 7-4 record and a bowl win, which he parlayed into a scholarship that he signed with the University of Alabama-Birmingham on Monday morning.

"Everything happened pretty quickly with me signing with UAB," said Clements, who was a 2nd Team All-Conference selection. "I went out there last weekend and I really liked Coach (Garrick) McGee and the staff. I didn't get a chance to meet many of the players, but I really enjoyed my time visiting and I'm looking forward to playing for them."

A product of La Habra High, Clements signed a scholarship out of high school with Washington State. But he didn't get a chance to see any action and settled on the depth chart behind eventual NFL quarterback Jeff Tuel, who signed with the Buffalo Bills.

"When I signed out of high school, I was a lot younger and being wanted by a PAC-12 school kind of overpowers you," added Clements. "This is the second time around and I wanted to make sure that I would fit into a program better and be able to make a contribution."

The Blazers, who went 2-10 this season, split time with two quarterbacks. One is graduating, while the other has decided to transfer to another school. That opened the door for Clements, who is considered their #1 recruit at quarterback.

Clements fit in well with the Falcons, as he completed 144-of-247 passes (58.3%) for 1,953 yards and 16 TDs, while also rushing for another 198 yards and three scores. He was named the MVP of the Western State Bowl against Grossmont College after passing for 288 yards and four TDs and ran for another 31 yards and a touchdown.

"I had never been in a pro-style offense until I got to Cerritos," said Clements. "I worked a lot on taking snaps under center and my drops. The coaches at UAB said they were looking for a roll-out guy who was familiar with a pro-style offense. They said they're looking for someone who can sit in the pocket and pass, and if there's a hole in the defense, be able to take off and gain yards. I feel like that's the strongest part of my game."

With his signing, Clements spurned offers from both Weber State and Northern Colorado because his goal was to try and get back to a Division I school. The communications major will be leaving for Birmingham in January and have two years of eligibility.