Sincerely, Ricky G. Ford,
NortheastPresident Mississippi Community College NEMCC BOARD OF TRUSTEES T. Jack Ramsey Chairman Tenure of Service: 1983 TishomingoBankerCounty Vance Witt Vice Chairman Tenure of Service: 2007 Union County Retired Businessman Kathy Shappley Secretary Tenure of Service: 2016 Tippah County Retired Educator Ken Basil Tenure of Service: 2008 Union County Retired Educator Sam McCoy Tenure of Service: 1988 PrentissBusinessmanCounty Christie Holly Tenure of Service: 2014 Tishomingo SuperintendentCountyofEducation Douglas Jackson Tenure of Service: 1995 Tippah County Retired Educator Tracie Langston Tenure of Service: 2004 Prentiss BusinesswomanCounty Larry Mitchell Tenure of Service: 2015 Alcorn County Retired Educator Katie Moreland Tenure of Service: 2020 Prentiss County Retired Educator Lonnie Murphy Tenure of Service: 2020 Prentiss County Retired Educator Mike Staten Tenure of Service: 2021 Union County Bank President Luzene Triplett Tenure of Service: 2002 Prentiss County Retired Educator Bubba Pounds Tenure of Service: 2020 Prentiss ChanceryCountyClerk John Anderson Tenure of Service: 2016 AlcornEducatorCounty NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2
Dr.
Students, Fans, Alumni,
Our vision is to develop one of the premier athletic programs in the nation. To that end, the completion of our Baseball/Softball complex was certainly a step in the right direction. In addition, the beginning of our Game, Set, Match capital giving campaign for our state of the art tennis complex shows our continued commitment to excellence.
Recently Northeast was recognized as an Apple Distinguished School. Receiving this coveted honor exhibits to the world our commitment to cutting edge technology within our instructional process. I hope you will have time prior to or after this athletic event to walk or drive around our campus and get a small glance at what we have to offer. You are welcome to visit anytime with our students, faculty, and staff. We are happy to have each of you as part of the Northeast family. Please feel free to contact me should the need ever arise. As you leave campus after this event, we wish you the very best and safe travels.
On behalf of Northeast Mississippi Community College, welcome to the greatest institution in the United States! Here at NEMCC, we have a tradition in all sports of exhibiting not only a championship atmosphere, but one of class, integrity, and professionalism. We are proud of the student/athletes that have chosen to attend Northeast. We are thankful each of you have chosen to attend this athletic event. While our students are here, our goal is to provide opportunities of personal growth through cutting edge instruction in the classroom and athletic programs. Northeast recognizes that its primary commitment is to the education of our student-athlete.
NEMCC FOOTBALL COACHES Greg Davis Head Coach A.J. Erdely CoordinatorOffensive Jonathan Webster CoordinatorDefensive Cedric Shell LinebackersCoach Cole Rotenberry WideCoachReceivers Turner Rotenberry Running Backs/ Tight Ends Coach Brenda Mayes AthleticAssistantDirector Kent Farris DirectorAthletic Ziggy Marro Director of Sports Medicine Rebecca Ruckes AthleticAssistantTrainer Blake Long InformationSportsDirector Ryan Moreland InformationSportsSpecialist Elijah Brooks A/VProducerNEMCCTV&Associate Chasity Moore CheerleadingCoach Jody Presley “Voice of the NEMCCTV.comTigers” Carter Smith “Voice of the NEMCCTV.comTigers” NEMCC ATHLETIC SUPPORT STAFF Parrish Huddleston LineDefensiveCoach NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE WOULD LIKE TO WISH THE 2022 SOPHOMORES GOOD LUCK IN ALL THEIR FUTURE ENDEAVORS! 1 KT HICKS 2 Kylan GARRETT 3 Juwon GASTON 4 Javian GIPSON-HOLMES 5 Kenny BYRD 5 Carter PUTT 7 Quae SHORTY 8 Triston NEWSON 10 Deonta BARNES 17 Kris SIDES 18 John Daniel DEATON 22 Shaundell CARTER 23 Goldman BUTLER, VI 24 Gary BANKS, II 25 Tameron PATTERSON 30 Rashad THOMAS 32 Willie LATHAM, III 52 RJ WHITEHEAD 55 Brantley PRESCOTT 57 Jacob BRANNON 59 Jaquan TONEY 74 DJ KING 75 Ben MAUNEY 77 Billy JOHNSON 79 Bryce HARLEY 82 Jay WORTHAM 88 Kortlen WILFAWN 90 DQ WATKINS Northeast Homecoming 2022 SEPTEMBER 22 | 7:00 PM KICKOFF | VS MS DELTA NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Blake Long (10th Year- University of Mississippi)
SPECIALISTINFORMATIONSPORTS
Academy 20 Carsyn Day
School 0 ....... Steven Edwards .......................... Sophomore ................ DB ...............5’11” ................ 165.................. Sardis,
# Name Class Position Height Weight
RUNNING BACKS/ TIGHT ENDS Turner Rotenberry (1st Year- Mississippi College)
Freshman DB 6’1” 180
Cole Rotenberry (2nd Year- Mississippi College)
....................... Hernando 18 John Daniel Deaton Sophomore P/QB 5’11” 160
DB 5’8” 180
Brenda Mayes (1st Year- University of North Alabama)
Oak
DIRECTORINFORMATIONSPORTS
Zach “Ziggy” Marro (1st Year- University of West Alabama)
Velma Jackson 21 Jordan
ATHLETICASSISTANTTRAINER
HEAD COACH Greg Davis (8th Year- Texas Christian University)
NORTHEAST 2022 FOOTBALL ROSTER
WIDE COACHRECEIVERS
Jonathan Webster (3rd Year- Arkansas Tech University)
COORDINATOROFFENSIVE A.J. Erdely 2nd Year- University of Alabama at Birmingham)
Miss. Madison Central 27 ..... Fred McMillian .............................. Freshman ................. DB ...............5’10” ................ 170............... West Point, Miss........................ West Point 28 Chazton Crudup Freshman DB 5’9” 165 Ripley, Miss. Ripley 29 Cortavious Rogers Freshman DB 6’0” 190 Yazoo City, Miss. Yazoo County 30 ..... Rashad Thomas .......................... Sophomore ................ DB ...............5’10” ................ 180............... Senatobia, Miss. ....................... Senatobia 32 Willie Latham, III Sophomore LB 5’10” 220 Madison, Miss. Madison-Ridgeland Aca. 33 ..... JD Nanney .................................... Freshman ................. LB ................. 6’2” ................. 220............... Booneville, Miss........................ Booneville 34 Justin Wilson Freshman LB 5’11” 225 Tupelo, Miss. Tupelo 35 DeQuan Moore Freshman LB 6’2” 220 Byhalia, Miss. Byhalia 40 ..... Prince Bentley, Jr. ......................... Freshman ................. LB ................. 6’1” ................. 245................. Byhalia, Miss. ........................... Byhalia 41 Jenari Bell Freshman DL 6’3” 250 Aberdeen, Miss. Aberdeen 42 ..... Deitrick McCray ............................ Freshman ................. DL ................. 6’1” ................. 260............... Columbus, Miss. ....................... Columbus 45 Clifton Young Freshman LB 6’0” 220 Yazoo City, Miss. Yazoo County 50 Darion Mosley Freshman DL 5’11” 260 Columbus, Miss. Columbus 52 ..... RJ Whitehead ............................... Sophomore ................ OL ................. 6’5” ................. 270................ Lambert, Miss. ........................ Horn Lake 54 Holder Usry Freshman OL 5’11” 290 Decatur, Miss. Newton County 55 Brantley Prescott Sophomore OL 6’3” 295 Columbus, Miss. Heritage Academy 56 ..... Jaylon Lewis ................................. Freshman ................. OL ................. 6’2” ................. 280............... Columbus, Miss. ....................... New Hope 57 Jacob Brannon Sophomore OL 6’2” 290 Duck Hill, Miss. Winona 59 ..... Jaquan Toney .............................. Sophomore ................ OL ................. 6’3” ................. 285.................Huntsville, Ala. ...................... Mae Jemison 74 DJ King Sophomore OL 6’2” 315 Byhalia, Miss. Byhalia 75 Ben Mauney Sophomore DL 6’0” 345 Booneville, Miss. Booneville 77 ..... Billy Johnson................................ Sophomore ................ OL ................. 6’2” ................. 320............... Booneville, Miss........................ Booneville 78 Jalen Lairy Freshman OL 6’3” 350 West Point, Miss. West Point 79 ..... Bryce Harley ............................... Sophomore ................ OL ................. 6’5” ................. 290............... Horn Lake, Miss........................ Horn Lake 81 TJ Fields Freshman WR 6’1” 190 Aberdeen, Miss. Aberdeen 82 Jay Wortham Sophomore WR 5’9” 155 Oxford, Miss. Oxford 88 ..... Kortlen Wilfawn ........................... Sophomore .............. LS/TE .............. 6’3” ................. 245.................. Oxford, Miss.............................. Oxford 89 Gunter Scott Freshman TE 6’2” 250 Carthage, Miss. Leake Academy 90 ..... DQ Watkins .................................. Sophomore ................ DL ................. 6’3” ................. 250.................. Oxford, Miss............................ Lafayette 92 Zach Crawford Freshman DL 5’11” 260 Hamilton, Miss. Hamilton 94 Javon Edwards Freshman DL 6’2” 240 Nashville, Tenn. Riverdale 95 ..... Kentrel Peters .............................. Freshman ................. DL ................. 6’0” ................. 270................ Pontotoc, Miss. ......................... Pontotoc 97 Taleeq Robbins Freshman DL 6’3” 285 Philadelphia, Pa. Imhotep Charter 99 John Jackson Freshman DL 6’1” 290 Columbus, Miss. Heritage Academy NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL 4
PRESIDENT Dr. Ricky Ford (8th Year- Mississippi State University)
DIRECTORATHLETICASSISTANT
Rebecca Ruckes (1st Year - Delta State University ) Hometown High Miss. Hernando, Miss. Booneville, Miss. West Point, Miss. Hill Freshman Canton, Miss. Herring Tupelo, Miss. Ripley, Corinth, Branch, Flora,
COORDINATORDEFENSIVE
Tupelo 22 ..... Shaundell Carter ......................... Sophomore ................ LB ................. 6’0” ................. 195...................
DEFENSIVE LINE COACH Parrish Huddleston (3rd Year- University of Tennessee at Martin)
....................... North Panola 1 KT Hicks Sophomore WR 5’8” 160 Hattiesburg, Miss. Petal 1 Jacoby McQuiller Freshman DB 5’11” 175 West Point, Miss. West Point 2 ....... Kylan Garrett ............................... Sophomore ................ WR ................ 5’8” ................. 160............ Independence, Miss.................. Independence 3 Juwon Gaston Sophomore DB 6’0” 180 Montgomery, Ala. Carver 4 Javian Gipson-Holmes Sophomore CB 5’10” 190 Oxford, Miss. Oxford 5 Kenny Byrd Sophomore LB 6’0” 220 York, S.C. Myrtle Beach 5 Carter Putt Sophomore QB 5’11” 200 Columbus, Miss. Heritage Academy 6 ....... Wesley Corbitt ............................... Freshman ................ ATH ................ 6’0” ................. 180................. Jackson, Miss. ......................... Callaway 7 Tyrell Randall Freshman WR 6’0” 175 Ocala, Fla. Vanguard 7 Quae Shorty Sophomore DB 5’10” 175 Independence, Miss. Independence 8 ....... Triston Newson ........................... Sophomore ................ LB ................. 6’2” ................. 210............ Independence, Miss.................. Independence 9 Mitchell Woodard Freshman WR 6’3” 190 Columbus, Miss. Heritage Academy 10 ..... Deonta Barnes ............................ Sophomore ................ DB ................ 5’9” ................. 200............... Lexington, Miss. ............. Holmes County Central 11 Kylen Vaughn Freshman WR 6’1” 195 Abbeville, Miss. Lafayette 12 Tykwon Wade Freshman WR 5’10” 175 Madison, Miss. Germantown 13 ..... Eddie Fisk, Jr................................. Freshman ................. DB ...............5’10” ................ 180.................. Saltillo, Miss. ............................. Saltillo 14 CJ Barney Freshman LB 6’1” 220 Madison, Miss. Madison Central 15 ..... Jayden Robinson .......................... Freshman ................. RB................. 5’9” ................. 175................ Nashville, Tenn. ...................... Pearl-Cohn 15 Dorrian Smith Freshman DB 6’0” 180 Fort Valley, Ga. Peach County 16 Guy Gillespie Freshman K 6’0” 200 Baldwyn, Miss. Booneville 17 ..... Kris Sides .................................... Sophomore ................ WR ................ 6’1” ................. 175...............
Miss. Biggersville 24 Gary Banks, II Sophomore RB 5’10” 220 Olive
DIRECTORATHLETIC Kent Farris (8th Year- University of North Alabama)
Miss. Olive Branch 25 ..... Tameron Patterson ..................... Sophomore ................ RB................. 5’9” ................. 200..................Corinth, Miss. ........................... Corinth 26 Vic Hollins Freshman LB 6’1” 200
Miss. ............................. Ripley 23 Goldman Butler, VI Sophomore RB 6’0” 240
Booneville 19 Cameron Dill Freshman QB 5’11” 195
DIRECTOR OF TRAININGATHLETIC
Ryan Moreland (2nd Year- Mississippi State University)
PERAL RIVER 2022 FOOTBALL ROSTER # Name Position Class Height Weight Hometown High School 1 ....... Christopher Holifield Jr. ....................... WR ................ Sophomore......... 5-10 ................. 191....................Mobile, Ala ............................. Leflore 2 Keon Marion DB Sophomore 6-2 175 Mobile, Ala Theodore 3 Dajour Brown DB Sophomore 6-0 185 Biloxi, Miss Biloxi 4 ....... Marquez Tatum .................................. DL ................ Sophomore.......... 6-4 .................. 290....................Mobile, Ala ............................. Leflore 5 Micah Cherry DB Sophomore 6-4 177 Petal, Miss Petal 6 Markis Hawthorne DB Sophomore 6-0 185 Moss Point, Miss Moss Point 7 Antonio Gayden WR Sophomore 5-11 160 Harvey, La West Jefferson 8 Marquis McCoy RB R-Freshman 5-8 165 Crestview, Fla Crestview 9 ....... Bryan Whitehead II ............................. DL ................ Sophomore.......... 6-2 .................. 236................. Bartlett, Tenn ........................... Bartlett 10 Justin Jefferson LB Sophomore 6-3 215 Memphis, Tenn Bartlett 11 Lawson Pratt QB Sophomore 6-1 200 Tuscaloosa, Ala American Christian Academy 12 ..... Manuel Armstrong III ......................... QB ................ Sophomore.......... 6-3 .................. 175............... New Orleans, La .................... McDonogh 35 13 Freddie Byrd III DB Freshman 6-1 172 Woodville, Miss Wilkinson County 14 ..... Qavonte Swanigan ............................. RB ................ Sophomore......... 5-10 ................. 190................ Foxworth, Miss ...................... West Marion 15 Elijah Jenkins LB Sophomore 6-0 230 Picayune, Miss Picayune 16 Davontez Lynn LB Sophomore 6-0 205 Farmhaven, Miss Velma Jackson 17 ..... Eli Hackbarth ..................................... LB ................ R-Freshman ......... 6-1 .................. 172............... Birmingham, Ala .................... Oak Mountain 18 Ken Irving DB Sophomore 6-1 195 D’Iberville, Miss D’Iberville 19 ..... Jordan Foushee .................................. WR ................ Sophomore.......... 6-2 .................. 210............. Bay St. Louis, Miss ...................... Hancock 20 Jordan Ware WR Sophomore 6-3 200 Flowood, Miss Northwest Rankin 21 Shadamien Williamson RB R-Freshman 5-10 195 Waynesboro, Miss Wayne County 22 ..... Kaleb Patterson ................................. DB ................. Freshman ........... 6-2 .................. 186.................. Byram, Miss .............................. Terry 23 Caleb Williams DB Freshman 5-10 190 Biloxi, Miss D’Iberville 24 Chanton McCray LB/DB Sophomore 6-3 185 Taylorsville, Miss Taylorsville 25 Hosea Singleton DB Sophomore 6-2 188 Bay St. Louis, Miss Bay Springs 26 Semaj Robertson WR Sophomore 6-0 170 Kiln, Miss Hancock 27 ..... Javonte Walker.................................... WR ................. Freshman ........... 5-9 .................. 160................ Tylertown, Miss........................ Tylertown 28 Nick Milsap RB Sophomore 5-11 198 Raleigh, Miss Oak Grove 29 Kam Norwood DB Freshman 5-11 180 Hattiesburg, Miss Hattiesburg 30 ..... Ethan Baxley ...................................... DB ................ Sophomore.......... 6-2 .................. 215............... Enterprise, Miss ....................... Enterprise 31 Tyree Jackson LB R-Sophomore 6-1 210 Hattiesburg, Miss Oak Grove 32 ..... JuVonta Raymond ............................... DL ................ Sophomore.......... 5-9 .................. 252................ Picayune, Miss ......................... Picayune 33 Kayvon Barnes RB Freshman 5-10 215 Pascagoula, Miss Pascagoula 34 Ahmad Harmon LB Freshman 5-11 195 Poplarville, Miss Poplarville 35 ..... Kevin Wilcox ........................................ TE ................ Sophomore.......... 6-0 .................. 210................. Carriere, Miss .................. Pearl River Central 36 Dwight Williams DB R-Freshmanr 6-0 185 Ocean Springs, Miss D’Iberville 38 ..... Corblin McGinn .................................... P .................. Freshman ........... 5-8 .................. 140................ D’Iberville, Miss ....................... D’Iberville 39 Greg Swann FB R-Freshman 5-10 197 Picayune, Miss Poplarville 40 Dalton Lee LB Freshman 6-0 216 Carriere, Miss Pearl River Central 42 ..... Carson Lewelling ................................ DL ................. Freshman ........... 6-1 .................. 210................... Hurley, Miss ........................ East Central 43 Michael Owens K Sophomore 5-10 185 Hattiesburg, Miss Oak Grove 44 ..... Cedric McGill ....................................... DL ................. Freshman ........... 6-0 .................. 260.............. Hattiesburg, Miss ..................... Hattiesburg 45 Cameron Shaw DL Sophomore 6-2 243 Vicksburg, Miss Presbyterian Christian School 46 Brady Johnson TE R-Freshman 6-2 210 Carriere, Miss Pearl River Central 47 ..... Joshua Bolton..................................... DL .............. R-Sophomore ........ 6-5 .................. 235............... Leakesville, Miss ................... Greene County 48 Mason Ward LS R-Freshman 5-11 240 Brandon, Miss Northwest Rankin 49 Andrew Smith TE R-Freshman 6-1 210 Poplarville, Miss Poplarville 51 ..... Thomas Daniel ................................... OL ................ R-Freshman ......... 6-2 .................. 290.............. Hattiesburg, Miss ....................... Picayune 52 Zizzy Luckey OL Sophomore 6-0 300 Gulfport, Miss Harrison Central 53 ..... Taurese Sibley .................................... OL ................ Sophomore.......... 6-0 .................. 260.............. Hattiesburg, Miss ...................... Oak Grove 54 Conner Davis OL Freshman 6-3 327 Poplarville, Miss Poplarville 55 Theo Hudson DL Sophomore 6-0 295 Tchula, Miss Holmes County Central 56 ..... Jordan Aaron ...................................... OL ................ Sophomore.......... 6-2 .................. 290................ Columbia, Miss ......................... Columbia 65 Andrew Lee OL Freshman 6-3 280 Picayune, Miss Pearl River Central 66 ..... Ladner Davis ...................................... OL ............... R-Freshmanr ........ 6-5 .................. 315................ Lucedale, Miss .................... George County 67 Conner Mallette OL Freshman 5-11 285 Vancleave, Miss Vancleave 70 Terrick Bryant OL Sophomore 6-0 300 Meridian, Miss St. Martin 79 ..... Jason Townsend ................................. OL ................. Freshman ........... 6-5 .................. 349................ Columbia, Miss ......................... Columbia 80 Paul James WR Freshman 6-0 168 Beaumont, Miss Perry Central 82 ..... Torry Polk........................................... WR ................ R-Freshman ......... 6-2 .................. 180............... Poplarville, Miss ....................... Poplarville 85 Jackson Kostmayer WR R-Freshman 6-7 250 Wiggins, Miss St. Patrick 88 Jordan Coleman WR Freshman 6-1 180 Hattiesburg, Miss Oak Grove 90 ..... Michael Montgomery .......................... DL ................ Sophomore.......... 6-1 .................. 320.............. Port Gibson, Miss ...................... Vicksburg 95 Michael Patrick DL Freshman 6-0 250 Forrest, Miss Scott Central 98 Damion Gooden DL Freshman 5-10 310 Collins, Miss Presbyterian Christian HEAD COACH Seth Smith COACHLINEBACKERSCOORDINATOR/DEFENSIVE Ty Trahan COACHOFFENSIVECOORDINATOR/OFFENSIVELINE David Chatham RUNNING BACKS COACH A.J. Davis COORDINATORSPECIALBACKSDEFENSIVECOACH/TEAMS Ta’Ron Sims COACHRECEIVERS Walker Mosby CONDITIONINGSTRENGTHLINEDEFENSIVECOACH/AND Lorenzo Breland PRESIDENT Dr. Adam Breerwood DIRECTORATHLETIC Patrick Ochs DIRECTORSATHLETICASSISTANT Scotty MichaelFletcherAvalon DIRECTORINFORMATIONSPORTS Dylan Dunaway WEBMASTERSERVICESDIGITALDIRECTORASSISTANTOFAND Richard Gleber ASSISTANTANDOFCOORDINATORCOMPLIANCEATHLETICS Eric Meeks TRAINERSATHLETIC Brandy BridgesMauldenJohnson NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL 5
A mixture of youth and experience will blend together at Northeast Mississippi Community College during the 63rd all-time football campaign in school history.
A total of 39 newcomers between transfers and true freshmen are set to make their debuts in a black-and-gold uniform during the fall of 2022. However, the Tigers also boast a talented core of sophomores at vital positions across the field. That includes nine players that are utilizing an extra season of eligibility due to the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. They are Gary Banks, II, Deonta Barnes, Javian Gipson-Holmes, Willie Latham, III, Triston Newson, Tam Patterson, Brantley Prescott, Carter Putt and Kris Sides. They are the last group that will benefit from legislation in regards to pandemic relief. The entire 2020-21 academic year did not count towards participation for any student-athlete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
Cameron Dill (West Point), who participated in the 2021 Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class 4A-6A All-Star Game, and John Daniel Deaton (Booneville) are Putt’s primary backups.Running back may be one of Northeast’s deepest spots on the depth chart with three returners, including Goldman Butler, VI (Biggersville), Banks, II (Olive Branch) and Patterson (Corinth). Butler is a returning all-conference performer that checked in at tight end from time-to-time. He accounted for four touchdowns between rushing and receiving during his inaugural season with the Tigers.Banks, II and Patterson have combined for 885 yards on the ground during their careers at Northeast. Add Jayden Robinson (Nashville, Tenn.), who was a Tennessee Football Coaches Association (TnFCA) Class 4A All-State selection as a senior, into the fray and the Tigers have four top-notch runners. “It’s probably the best we’ve ever been at running back,” said Davis. “We’ve got two bruiser backs with Gary and Goldman and two guys that are more slasher backs, so to speak, with Tam and Jayden. It’s been exciting to see those four work.” Northeast brings back just two wideouts that caught at least one pass last year in Kylan Garrett (Independence) and Jay Wortham (Oxford). Garrett topped the Tigers as a freshman with 410 receiving yards and finished tied for second with 22 catches.
Among the batch of fresh faces that have joined Northeast’s receiving corps are KT Hicks (Petal), Tykwon Wade (Madison), Tyrell Randall (Ocala, Fla.) and Mitchell Woodard (Columbus). “We feel like the ability of our receivers is going to be as good as it’s been in a long time,” Davis said. “I don’t think that there’s any one guy that’s just a ball hog. They give a lot of great effort out there.”TheTigers have three starters back that are charged with protecting the skill positions as offensive linemen. Jaquan Toney (Huntsville, Ala.) was an all-conference tackle last autumn while Billy Johnson (Booneville) stands tall at one of the two guards.Prescott (Columbus) is moving from a guard slot to center. Jacob Brannon (Winona), Bryce Harley (Horn Lake), D.J. King (Byhalia), Ben Mauney (Booneville) and RJ Whitehead (Horn Lake) are all sophomores as well that will rotate along the line for“WeNortheast.worked extremely hard in the offseason from January all the way to now trying to get them better from the technical aspect to the mental aspect,” said Davis. “I’m really proud of their dedication and hard work. I think they gelled as a unit.”Latham, III (Madison) is the Tigers’ only returning starter on the defensive side of the equation at linebacker. He racked up the third most tackles for Northeast during the 2021 campaign with 51. Do not expect a drop in production from the Tigers, though. Several key transfers such as Kenny Byrd from Coastal Carolina (S.C.) University, Juwon Gaston of Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College and Taleeq Robbins from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) will help Northeast fill the openByrdgaps.(Myrtle Beach, S.C.) joins Latham, III and the rest of Northeast’s linebackers. Gaston (Montgomery, Ala.), who originally signed with Auburn (Ala.) University, and Robbins (Philadelphia, Pa.) are both consensus three-star recruits.Newson (Independence) is attracting attention from multiple NCAA Division I institutions ahead of his final campaign in the City of Hospitality. He accumulated 37 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery one year ago. “The two leaders in the middle are Triston and Kenny. Both of those guys right now are anchoring our defense,” Davis said. “Overall, I think that our linebacking corps is really solid. They’re right where they need to be. The one thing that we do have is some guys that can run.”
The Tigers have showcased several phenoms on the defensive front over the last several years. Three former Northeast linemen are currently playing in the National Football League (NFL), including Mario Addison with the Houston Texans, Anthony Rush with the Atlanta Falcons and Sam Williams of the DallasRobbinsCowboys.highlights a defensive line for the Tigers this season that is almost entirely full of rookies. The lone exceptions to that are John Jackson (Columbus) and D.Q. Watkins (Oxford), who served in reserve roles during the previous campaign.“We’renot overly big, but we’re active,” said Davis. “I think we’re going to cause some havoc and issues because we’re fast and explosive. In this league, when you can plug gaps and create seams, you can make plays.”
Steven Edwards (Sardis), Barnes (Lexington) and Gipson-Holmes (Oxford) give Northeast some maturity in the backfield. Edwards and GipsonHolmes had a hand in three of the 24 takeaways forced by the Tigers’ defense last season.
Valdosta State (Ga.) University transfer Dorrian Smith (Fort Valley, Ga.) should make an instant impact at corner. The safety rotation also includes Jacoby McQuiller (West Point), Quae Shorty (Independence) and Gaston.
RETURNERS
AT KEY POSITIONS HELP TIGERS OFFSET LARGE BATCH OF ROOKIES COLLEGE
“All of those guys are free range and they can hit,” Davis said. “The corners are a solid group of guys. They’re smart football players. We’re probably as versatile as you can get in the safety spot.” Guy Gillespie (Booneville) and Deaton will handle all the kicking duties for Northeast. Deaton averaged 37 yards per punt with a season-best 45-yard boot for the Tigers during his freshman campaign.KortlenWilfawn (Oxford), who will also see time at tight end, is Northeast’s long snapper for the second straight year. A number of Tigers could be in the mix as a kick or punt returner, including Gaston, Hicks and Northeast’sWade.staff features defensive coordinator Jonathan Webster, offensive coordinator A.J. Erdely, defensive line coach Parrish Huddleston, linebackers coach Cedric Shell, running backs coach Turner Rotenberry and wide receivers coach Cole Rotenberry.TheTigers travel to Hinds Community College for the season opener on Thursday, September 1. Northeast welcomes Pearl River Community College for its initial home contest one week later.
NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY
Putt headlines Northeast’s third-year standouts after starting six games at quarterback one season ago. He is trying to become the first Tiger to throw for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive campaigns since at least 2004. The Columbus native has completed 54 percent of his pass attempts at Northeast and has only committed one turnover over his last four appearances. Putt has earned the trust of Greg Davis, who is beginning his eighth year as the Tigers’“Carterheadman.doesareally great job of managing the offense,” he said. “He can full-field read so it makes a huge difference when you’re talking about being able to adjust off coverages and blitzes. His awareness is off the charts.”
FOOTBALL 6
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WATCH THE TIGERS LIVE AT WWW.NEMCCTV.COM 2022 TIGER FOOTBALL SCHEDULE: NOW AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING ON THE FOLLOWING APPS: 9-19-89-159-229-2910-610-1310-2010-27 6:30 PM VS NORTHWEST W, 20-3 6:30 PM VS PEARL RIVER 6:30 PM AT ITAWAMBA 7:00 PM VS MS DELTA 6:30 PM AT HOLMES 6:30 PM VS EAST CENTRAL 6:30 PM VS EAST MS 6:30 PM AT COAHOMA
