Jackson State
Two out of these three teams have a real shot at winning the SWAC and possibly winning the Celebration Bowl. Jackson State is one of them.
Deion Sanders hasn’t yet proved himself on the sidelines, but he has proved himself on the recruiting trail. Impressively enough, Coach Prime pulled in the No. 1 class in the FCS during his first year at the helms.
Led by four four-star recruits in DL KaTron Evans, WR Trevonte Rucker, QB Shedeur Sanders, and DB De’Jahn Warren, the 2021 class is also the best class ever for an HBCU. Quaydarius Davis, the highest-rated recruit to ever commit to the Tigers, is not listed on the roster.
There’s also a ton of help coming to the capital city from the transfer portal, including 13 former Power 5 players: DB Isaiah Bolden (Florida State), DB Randall Haynie (Vanderbilt), LB James Houston IV (Florida), LB Nyles Gaddy (Tennessee), WR Josh Lanier (Alabama), LB Abdul Malik-McClain (So Cal), LB Aubrey Miller Jr. (Missouri), DL Coynis Miller (Auburn), DL Antwan Owens (Georgia Tech), DL Tre’von Riggins (Illinois), S Shilo Sanders (South Carolina), OL Dylan Spencer (Missouri), and WR Malachi Wideman (Tennessee).
Offensively, Shedeur Sanders, one of Coach Prime’s two sons now suiting up for the Tigers, has locked down the starting quarterback position. He’ll be complemented by a nice receiving corps of returning starter Warren Newman, Ohio transfer Shane Hooks, Lanier, and Wideman.
Liberty transfer Peytton Picket looked good at running back during the most recent scrimmage.
Cedric Dunbar, Spencer, and Central Florida transfer Tony Gray have been the few offensive linemen highlighted by Assistant AD for Media Rob Jay, who by the way does a fantastic job helping all of us stay up to date with Jackson State football. One player who I’m particularly interested in seeing how big of a role they play is Southern Miss transfer Tre Johnson—pretty small guy at 6-7 300.
Defensively, the starting linebackers will be Miller Jr., Houston IV, and 2019 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year Keonte Hampton. Gaddy and Malik-McClain should start the season coming off the edges with a solid group of interior players filling out the line. I also expect Warren, Bolden, and Shilo Sanders, the oldest of Coach Prime’s sons, to get a lot of playing time in the secondary.
As you can tell, this roster is completely different than the one that went 4-3 in the spring. Like Shedeur Sanders recently said, “This is no regular SWAC team.” And, he’s absolutely correct, in terms of talent. Now, it just comes down to the Xs and Os and whether or not this roster can actually play together.
Floor: 6-5
Ceiling: 10-1
