When Nathan Kerns hits his long drives into the fairway next year, he won’t have far to drive.

Kerns, the Ironton Fighting Tigers senior standout, can hit the ball a long way off the tee and come this fall he’ll be hitting his driver, irons and putters close to home after signing a letter-of-intent Monday with the Marshall Thundering Herd and coach Joe Feaganes.

“It’s close to home, it’s a D-1 (division one college program), and it’s good competition,” said Kerns who picked Marshall over numerous other schools including Cincinnati and Ohio State.

“It just seemed right. They were recruiting me heavily and I looked into it and I felt the same way. It was hard to say ‘no.’”

Kerns has a high school resume that includes three trips to the state tournament and a seventh place finish last month to register him as an All-Ohio performer.

The coaches association’s two-time Southeast District Player of the Year, Kerns played in the state tournament as a freshman as the Ironton team qualified. He played the past two seasons in the state tournament as an individual.

Kerns was a key in Ironton’s 83-30 record this past season and the school’s first-ever Southeastern Ohio Athletic League championship.

Ironton head coach Jeff Kerns, who also happens to be Nathan’s father, has coached a lot of good golfers during the past eight seasons including Seth Christian and Dennis Gagai.

As talented as his past players have been, coach Kerns said Nathan is his most talented player.

“I’ve always felt (Nathan) had the talent to play division one golf. He’s not only the most talented player I’ve had, but he’s as good of a person as he is a golfer,” said coach Kerns.

“Physically, he still has room to improve. Mentally he’s ready with all the tournaments he’s played in. He’s ready for the next challenge. He’s ready for the next level.”

Nathan said stepping up to the college level will be more demanding physically. He expects to add strength with the 6:30 morning workout sessions before attending class.

“It’s going to be different,” said Nathan. “We’ll play three-day tournaments instead of two. It’s a more physical game, but it’s more of a mental test than physical.”

Marshall plays a strong schedule that includes teams from division one conferences such as the Big Ten, SEC, and ACC.

Jeff Kerns has seen his son grow and improve every year for the past four seasons and said he’ll continue his progression at Marshall.

“As a freshman, he was small and timid. He’s matured into a fine young man and golfer. He’s a special player,” said coach Kerns.

“God has blessed him with a lot of talent and as a young man. He’s worked hard.”

Nathan’s mother, Heather Kerns, is a teacher in the Ironton school system.