Jackson State ranks No. 20 in HERO Sports’ FCS Preseason Top 25.
The Tigers finished 12-1 last year, losing 41-34 in OT to North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl.
Here’s a look at this year’s Jackson State football squad under first-year head coach T.C. Taylor.
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Returning 2022 FCS All-Conference Players (2)
1st Team
P Matt Noll (2022 All-MEAC at Delaware State)
2nd Team
TE DJ Stevens
Players In 2023 FCS Positional Rankings (2)
Transfer Portal Movement
Transfers Lost To The FBS (19)
Shane Hooks (WR) to Auburn
Katron Evans (DL) to Charlotte
Shedeur Sanders (QB) to Colorado
Travis Hunter (DB) to Colorado
Tyler Brown (OL) to Colorado
Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig (DB) to Colorado
Alejandro Mata (K) to Colorado
Jeremiah Brown (LB) to Colorado
Jacob Politte (LS) to Colorado
Willie Gaines (WR) to Colorado
Shilo Sanders (DB) to Colorado
Sy’veon Wilkerson (RB) to Colorado
Kevin Coleman Jr. (WR) to Louisville
Devin Hayes (OL) to Middle TN State
Nyles Gaddy (DL) to Missouri
John Huggins (DB) to New Mexico State
Willis Patrick (OL) to TCU
Jurriente Davis (LB) to Texas A&M
Mark Pope (WR) to UMass
Transfers Lost To The FCS (9)
Herman Smith III (DB) to Idaho State
Baron Hopson (LB) to Kennesaw
Jasper Friis (OL) to McNeese
Donavan Hunt (RB) to North Dakota
Jelani Davis (DL) to Southern
Josh Griffis (DL) to Tarleton
Quaydarius Davis (WR) to Texas Southern
Michael Pleas (LB) to UT Martin
Trevonte Rucker (WR) to UT Martin
Transfers Coming In From The FBS (16)
Solomon Rogers (DB), Charlotte
Tyas Martin (DL), Colorado
Joe Perkins (DB), FIU
Zy McDonald (QB), Louisiana
Allen Walker (LB), Louisiana Tech
Tristan Allen (LB), Louisiana Tech
Keydrain Calligan (DB), Louisiana-Monroe
Phillip Webb (LB), LSU
Errington McRae (TE), Memphis
Cameron James (OL), Minnesota
Duke Miller (WR), New Mexico
Fabian McCray (WR), Northern Illinois
Seven McGee (RB), Oregon
JaCobian Morgan (QB), Syracuse
Tim Steward (DB), Troy
Jason Brown (QB), Virginia Tech
Transfers Coming In From The FCS (13)
Esaias Guthrie (DB), Delaware State
Matt Noll (P), Delaware State
Brandon Johnson (WR), Idaho State
John Graves III (DL), Southeastern Louisiana
Josh Short (DB), Southern
Luke Jackson (K), Southern
Irvin Mulligan (RB), Wofford
Jaheem Hazel (DB), Wofford
Josh Clarke (LB), Northwestern State
Christon Taylor (LB), North Alabama
Syr Riley (OL), Idaho State
George McCorley (WR), Portland State
Ashton Taylor (LB), Tennessee Tech
Roster Outlook
JSU returns just one of its 12 All-SWAC players from last year (TE DJ Stevens).
It loses its starting QB, top three rushers, top four pass-catchers, and top eight tacklers.
The Tigers lost 19 transfers to the FBS and nine transfers to other FCS programs. T.C. Taylor and his staff have responded by hitting the portal hard themselves, bringing in 16 FBS transfers and 13 FCS transfers.
Of the 38 participating players in the Celebration Bowl, 12 are back in 2023: RB JD Martin, WR Rico Powers, DL Antonio Doyle Jr., CB Jalin Hughes, K Gerardo Baeza, LB Khalil Arrington, OL Deontae Graham, TE Hayden Hagler, TE DJ Stevens, WR Andre Hunt, DL Devonta Davis, and DL Jeremiah Williams.
Along with those returners, JSU brought in 247Sports’ No. 2 FCS recruiting class, counting high school recruits and college transfers.
Some of those transfers include LSU LB Phillip Webb (4-star HS recruit) and Oregon RB Seven McGee (4-star HS recruit). JSU has several three-star HS recruits on its roster as well.
The Tigers not only have brought in many Power Five transfers who were highly recruited, but they have also landed FCS transfers who were impact players for their previous team.
Esaias Guthrie, a safety from Delaware State, was one of the best young FCS safeties in 2021, earning Freshman All-American and First Team All-MEAC honors. Irvin Mulligan, a running back from Wofford, averaged 6.9 yards per carry in 2021, totaling 859 rushing yards and eight TDs as an All-SoCon Second Team selection. John Graves III, a defensive lineman from Southeastern Louisiana, was a 2021 Honorable Mention All-Southland Conference selection. And Matt Noll is an All-American-level punter from Delaware State.
The talent is there, it’s just a matter of who steps up into leading roles. All of the top production from last season is gone.
Of course, the biggest position battle will be at quarterback. JSU has five QBs currently on the roster, three of which transferred in this offseason.
Jason Brown is a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech. Before Virginia Tech, he played at South Carolina in 2021, going 2-2 as a starter. And before that, he played at Saint Francis, where he was a 2019 FCS Sophomore All-American after throwing for 3,084 yards, 28 TDs, and six interceptions.
Zy McDonald is a redshirt sophomore transfer from Louisiana-Lafayette. He saw minimal action in two seasons there, but as a high school recruit, McDonald was the No. 38 pro-style quarterback in the country by 247Sports.
Greyson Thompson is a redshirt sophomore who has spent the last three seasons at JSU after transferring from North Texas.
Jacobian Morgan is a redshirt sophomore transfer from Syracuse. He started two games as a true freshman in 2020 but didn’t see much action since. He was a three-star high school recruit.
And Phillip Short is a junior transfer from Holmes Community College. He was a two-star recruit out of high school.
JSU has a very different-looking roster than it did a season ago. But it remains a talented roster. We’ll learn much more about this team early, as the first four games will tell us a lot. SC State beat JSU in the 2021 Celebration Bowl, FAMU is getting some Preseason Top 25 love, JSU beat Southern 43-24 in last year’s SWAC title game, and Texas State is an FBS opponent.
Schedule
8/26 South Carolina State (Atlanta, GA)
9/3 RV Florida A&M (Miami, FL)
9/9 at Southern
9/16 at Texas State
9/23 vs Bethune-Cookman
10/7 Alabama A&M (Mobile, AL)
10/14 vs Alabama State
10/21 at Mississippi Valley State
10/28 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
11/4 vs Texas Southern
11/18 vs Alcorn State
HERO Sports’ rankings
RV = Received Votes
Bold indicates SWAC games
