Season Preview

NEMCC ENTERS PLAYOFF ERA OF NJCAA FOOTBALL WITH TALENT LADEN TEAM

The Northeast Mississippi Community College football team made good use of its time in the limelight during the 2020 campaign.

The Tigers, who were one of only 18 two-year college programs to compete during the fall semester, finished as the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) North Division runner-up with a 5-1 record and earned a No. 13 national ranking according to JCGridiron.

Football is back in its usual autumn slot on the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) calendar. However, there are some differences in 2021 after the NJCAA created a divisional system with two separate championship games.

Northeast and the entire MACCC are classified as NJCAA Division I. There will be a four-team playoff to crown a national champion at this level with the semifinals taking place at on-campus locations and the title contest emanating from War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark.

So the Tigers have a bigger prize to shoot for than ever before during the 62nd all-time campaign in school history. However, they will do so with a proverbial target on their back following the many successes of the previous season.

Greg Davis, who begins his seventh year as Northeast’s headman, is once again thrilled with the talent that he and his fellow coaches have assembled in the City of Hospitality.

“Our coaching staff has done an amazing job with the roster,” he said. “I feel really confident in where we are offensively. We bring back some explosive players at the skill positions. Defensively, we’re led by the front there’s no doubt about it. This defense is going to be really good. We’re moving in the right direction.”

Bolstering those good vibes are seven student-athletes that are returning for an additional sophomore season after the NJCAA provided an extra year of eligibility in all sports as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Taking advantage of that unique opportunity are defensive backs Keyshawn Cobb and Tony Washington; defensive linemen Jamal Ellis, Cedric Hillsman and Stephon McGlaun; linebacker Jamarcus Smith and offensive lineman Will Derico.

Smith has a chance to make more history as the first person to lead the Tigers in tackling for three consecutive seasons. He recently became Northeast’s inaugural College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America® selection.

The Saltillo native has accumulated 147 stops, which breaks down 89 as a freshman and 58 one year ago. Smith has also produced 15.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, four forced turnovers and three blocked kicks.

Standing in the way of Smith and a record that would most likely never be matched are several teammates that excel at tackling themselves such as Carter Bonds of Corinth, Tunica’s Reginald Hughes and Triston Newson from Independence.

Bonds lived up to his hype as the 2019 Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Defensive Player of the Year by finishing just behind Smith with 52 tackles, including a team-best 38 solo stops. Newson drew comparisons from Davis to former NJCAA All-Region 23 performer and current Alcorn State University standout Terrance Edgeston.

Hughes is a University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) commitment that is poised to have a breakout season. He had a team-high 3.5 sacks to go along with 22 total tackles during his initial campaign with the Tigers.

“The linebacking corps is going to be leaders for us,” said Davis. “Carter is going to be around the football no matter what you do. (Newson) is a guy that could be as good of a football player as we’ve had at the backer position. When you throw Reginald and Jamarcus in there, we’ve got a solid group.”

Northeast returns a trio of bona fide starters on the defensive line in Georgians Ellis and Hillsman plus McGlaun of Tupelo. They all received postseason awards last year after combining for 82 takedowns, 12 tackles for loss and four sacks.

“Those three should be the absolute bell cows for our football team,” Davis said. “It’s going to be really interesting to see how well we respond as a defense based on those guys up front. The defense has to be our number one ally.”

Adding more firepower to the Tigers’ defensive unit are Tunica’s Marcus Rule, Jr., Delvon Fegans of Oxford, Ala., Cobb from Fort Valley, Ga., and Washington of Horn Lake in the backfield. Cobb, Rule, Jr., and Washington all had at least one interception for Northeast last season. Fegans, who is rated as a threestar prospect by both Rivals and 247Sports, had multiple NCAA Division I offers out of high school.

“Our defense is founded by our two solid safeties Keyshawn and Tony,” said Davis. “That secondary is going to be ready to play and I’m excited. They are as much of a part of our football team in that dynamic of what we have to do as anybody.”

The role of first-string quarterback has been one of the more interesting competitions throughout training camp. Several viable options are available, including JT Moore of Shelby and Heritage Academy graduate Carter Putt.

Moore completed 57.7 percent of his pass attempts for 288 yards with three touchdowns in 2020. Jacksonville State (Ala.) University transfer AC Graham, who racked up nearly 5,000 yards of offense between his junior and senior campaigns at the prep level, is in the mix as well.

“All of those guys are going to battle for that job,” Davis said. “AC is a guy that not only can stand in the pocket, but he can roll. He can outrun pretty much everybody on this team. JT is a big, physical presence as well.”

Whoever ends up as the primary signal caller has several weapons to throw to at wideout. Topping that list is Saint Stanislaus High School alumnus Dallas Payne, who had the second-most catches (23), yards (314) and touchdowns (3) for the Tigers during the prior campaign.

Western Michigan University transfer Cam Coleman was right behind Payne with 20 receptions for 238 yards with two scores in just four games. Mondrel Boykins from Tunica and tight end Calvin Jones of Corinth all have experience catching passes as well.

Several newcomers are slated to make an impact at receiver, including a couple of local products such as Jay Wortham. He helped Oxford High School reach the 2020 Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A championship contest by hauling in a team-best 17 touchdowns.

Khi Holiday, who is the reigning Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) Class 1A Offensive Player of the Year, transitions to wideout after a sensational career at Tupelo Christian Preparatory School in which he accounted for more than 11,000 yards between passing and rushing from his sophomore to senior campaigns.

Brandon’s Caleb Anderson joins Holiday as three-star additions to Northeast’s offense. Cedrick Wilder, Jr., of Pelahatchie also makes his comeback from injury after grabbing 12 receptions and one touchdown for the Tigers in 2019.

“We’ve got a lot of speed there. We’ve got to get the ball out quickly and get it in their hands,” said Davis. “Dallas is going to be an integral part of what we do. Cam is a veteran player that’s going to have that leadership role.”

Running back and offensive line may have more question marks than any other spots around the field for Northeast. However, capable athletes are waiting in line to take up those duties.

Alcorn Countians Cayden Betts and Goldman Butler are going to get their fair share of touches. Betts, who is the defending MAC Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year, was once a United States Naval (Md.) Academy commit while Butler was a MAC Class 1A All-State recipient.

Will Derico from Montgomery, Ala., and Brantley Prescott of Columbus anchor the line. Other names to keep an eye on in the trenches include three-star recruit Jaquan Toney of Huntsville, Ala., and Hernando’s Tommy Branyan. “We’ve got four really good running backs. We’re positive about that group,” Davis said. “But, like any other year, you’re only as good as your offensive line. We’ve gotta get those guys playing to the standards that we want.”

John Ellis Murrah from Corinth secured All-MACCC honors as both a kicker and a punter. He was perfect on extra point tries in 21 attempts and tied Iowa Western Community College’s Cody Lindquist for the national lead with 17 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Overall, the Tigers have eight All-MACCC winners returning in Derico, Hillsman, McGlaun, Murrah, Payne, Prescott, Smith and Washington. Northeast also boasts seven true freshmen that garnered MAC All-State accolades. The Tigers’ staff features defensive coordinator Jonathan Webster, linebackers coach Cedric Shell and defensive line coach Parrish Huddleston. A.J. Erdely was promoted to offensive coordinator during the offseason while Cole Rotenberry joined Northeast as wide receivers instructor.