SEC teams look for immediate help on JUCO signing day
National signing day for mid-year junior college prospects is Wednesday. These recruits are expected to enroll in January.
Signing junior college prospects has been on the rise in the past decade. Nearly every major program tries to snag one or two top-level JUCO players to add to their respective recruiting classes.
Most JUCO prospects are being recruited to fill a gaping hole on the depth chart with a player who has experienced some competition, weight training and development at a higher level than high school.
Some are prospects who signed with the program out of high school and were placed in a junior college because of a failure to qualify academically. And others are transfers from other FBS programs (frequently referred to as “bouncebacks”) that were looking for playing time and a fresh recruiting start.
Here are some things to look for as we approach juco national signing day:
Most SEC programs will sign at least one JUCO: 10 SEC programs have commitments from junior college prospects in the top 100 according to 247sports composite rankings. Tennessee has commitments from four players in the top 100 while Mississippi State has three and Florida, Auburn, Kentucky and Missouri have commitments from two. Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and South Carolina have one commitment in the top 100.
Team | Player, pos. | JUCO | Size | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tennessee | Jonathan Kongbo, DE | Arizona Western | 6-6, 265 | 1 |
Alexis Johnson, DT | Fort Scott (Kansas) CC | 6-4, 300 | 20 | |
Jeff George, WR | Dodge City (Kansas) CC | 6-4, 250 | 30 | |
Desmond Henderson, CB | Dodge City CC | 5-11, 175 | 45 | |
Florida | Mark Thompson, RB | Dodge City (Kansas) CC | 6-2, 230 | 3 |
Dre Massey, WR | Holmes (Kansas) CC | 6-0, 185 | 44 | |
Alabama | Charles Baldwin, OT | ASA College (New York) | , 6-5, 310 | 4 |
Georgia | Javon Wims, WR | Hinds (Miss,) CC | 6-4, 210 | 12 |
Missouri | Natereace Strong, RB | Hinds (Miss.) CC | 6-1, 200 | 13 |
Greg Taylor, S | Hinds (Miss.) CC | 5-11, 180 | 74 | |
Kentucky | Tate Leavitt, OT | Hutchinson (Kansas) CC | 6-6, 300 | 25 |
Jordan Bonner, LB | NE Okla. A&M | 6-5, 215 | 99 | |
Auburn | John Franklin, QB/Ath. | E. Miss. CC | 6-0, 180 | 26 |
Ole Miss | David Luafatasaga, OLB | Ariz. Western | 6-3, 220 | 36 |
Remember these once-familiar faces? LSU fans expected defensive tackles Maquedius Bain and Travonte Valentine to anchor their defensive lines in 2016 and 2017. Instead both left Baton Rouge for the junior college life.
Bain will return to FBS football in 2016 with the UAB Blazers after playing a semester at Pearl River CC while Valentine’s future is less certain after leaving LSU to play for Arizona Western College.
Former Tennessee quarterback Riley Ferguson moved off to Coffeyville CC in Kansas and could sign with Arkansas State on Wednesday. Former FSU quarterback John Franklin left the Seminoles crowded depth chart for East Mississippi CC and will sign with Auburn.
Immediate help on the lines: The top JUCO player in the composite rankings is 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end Jonathan Kongbo from Arizona Western, a former Wyoming recruit who is committed to Tennessee. He is expected to wait until February to sign and Tennessee will have to fend off many other suitors including the Washington Huskies.
https://twitter.com/King_Kongbo/status/675834632311410689
The Volunteers will also sign 300-pound defensive tackle Alexis Johnson from Fort Scott CC in Kansas.
Alabama is no stranger to getting JUCO help in the trenches and they hope 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive lineman Charles Baldwin can come from ASA College in New York to give the Tide some quality depth.
Florida is in the hunt for mammoth offensive lineman Malcolm Pridgeon, but the 6-foot-8, 310-pound prospect from Nassau CC in New York may not sign until February.
And Kentucky is hoping that 6-foot-6, 300-pound tackle Tate Leavitt will provide a punch up front coming in from Hutchinson CC in Kansas.