With National Signing Day 2022 in full swing, all eyes are on the Jackson State football recruiting class. 247Sports.com has ranked this year’s class at Jackson State 79th overall. Even though JSU competes at the FCS level that ranking is ahead of several Power Five programs. Here’s a look at this year’s class.
Travis Hunter DB/Athlete
Do we really need to say anything more about Travis Hunter? The first five-star high school prospect to sign with an HBCU (since the ranking system began in 2006) or any FCS football program is a history maker. Hunter was the no. 1 college prospect in the country, playing wide receiver and defensive back. He was selected as the MaxPreps Player of the Year representing the state of Georgia. The expectation is that he will be an outstanding two way player just like his head coach Deion Sanders was.
Hunter talks about being a part of history
“I want to be a part of that history, and more, I want to be a part of that future. I am making this decision so that I can light the way for others to follow, make it a little easier for the next player to recognize that HBCUs may be everything you want and more: an exciting college experience, a vital community, and a life-changing place to play football,” he said.
J.P. Andrade Quarterback
Put this in the category of “didn’t see this one coming.” The quarterback room got a little more company on Wednesday evening when former Ohio State quarterback J.P. Andrade announced his commitment to Jackson State University. Andrade was a walk on quarterback for the Buckeyes who entered the transfer portal on January 3. There is no doubt that Shedeur Sanders is the starting quarterback as long as he’s upright, but Andrade will bring the experience of being in the quarterback room of one of the top football programs in the country.
Andrade is listed as a 6-3, 205-pound Pro-Style Quarterback from San Dimas, CA. He was listed as a three star recruit and went to the Buckeyes as a preferred walk on. Andrade didn’t appear in any games for Ohio State.
Kevin Coleman Jr. Wide Receiver
Coming along for the ride with Travis Hunter is four-star wide receiver Kevin Coleman. The no. 61 player in the nation shunned Miami, Florida State, USC and Oregon and committed instead to JSU.
“I’m taking my talents to play with Prime Time,” Coleman said when asked why he chose Jackson State.
“He inspired me, why not be taught by the best, he played both ways and he did everything that I want to do,” he continued.
Tru Thompson
Tru Thompson is a defensive lineman who transfers in to Jackson State from Florida State University. Thompson from Logansville, Georgia was a three-star prospect coming out of high school. Thompson is 6 feet tall and weighs 312 pounds.
Simi Moala
Former Utah offensive tackle Simi Moala is headed to Jackson State. He originally signed out of high school with Oregon State in 2015 before leaving on an LDS church mission in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
The 6-7, 312 pounder was a Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention as a redshirt freshman in 2019. He has started 18 of 24 career games so far, the majority of them as a left tackle.
Antonio Doyle
Coming out of high school Antonio Doyle was a top five inside linebacker and the no. 89 recruit overall according to the 247Sports Composite. The St. Louis native originally committed to Missouri before ultimately signing with Texas A&M.
The 6’3″ 235 pound Doyle played in all 10 games in 2020 during his freshman year, primarily on special teams. During the 2021 season Doyle played in eight games with his best effort being five tackles, 0.5 for loss, against New Mexico. Doyle announced his decision to transfer on Nov. 4.
Jordyn Williams
Jordyn Williams is another former Indiana Hoosier to join the Jackson State Tigers this year. The wide receiver appeared in two games last season for Indiana. He’s a three-star recruit from Addison, Texas and originally committed to Indiana in 2020. Williams played for Deion Sanders and with Shedeur Sanders at Trinity Christian High School.
Keveon Mullins
Mullins who transitioned from a wide receiver to tight end while at South Carolina still has thee seasons of eligibility remaining. Coming out of high school in Memphis, Tennessee Mullins was a four-star prospect for the class of 2019. At the time he was rated as the no. 9 player in the state.
While at South Carolina, Mullins was redshirted his freshman year before hitting the field in 2020 as a tight end. In five games of action he caught passes in two games. His career apex for the Gamecocks was against LSU with a 57 yard reception and 101 total yards.
Shauntavis Vardaman
Shauntavis Vardaman is a 6-4, 313-pound offensive tackle from Hazlehurst, MS. He redshirted his first season at Copiah-Lincoln Community College before becoming a starter in 2018 at left tackle. Vardaman went on to play at UAB before entering the transfer portal and ending up at Jackson State.
Jurriente Davis
The North Carolina native started his collegiate career at Hutchinson Community College out of Dudley High School in 2020 . Davis then committed to Middle Tennessee State University in 2021. The linebacker posted 71 tackles, eight quarterback hits, three sacks, and two pass deflections in his first D1 season at MTSU. Davis still has two years of eligibility left to compete with the JSU Tigers.
Jurriente Davis chose Jackson State over Memphis, FAMU, UCONN, and Coastal Carolina.
Camron Buckley WR
Camron Buckley is a wide receiver who comes to Jackson State after stints at Texas A&M and Indiana. At Texas A&M, Buckley was able to pick up 877 yards receiving and four touchdowns over the course of three seasons. Buckley transferred to Indiana after missing the 2020 season due to injury. He comes to JSU as a graduate student-athlete.
During his freshman year Buckley had a career high game with four catches for 93 yards against no. 2 Clemson. During his junior season at Texas A&M he averaged 11 yards-per-catch on 121 receiving yards. Buckley was an Under Armour All-American and played at Cedar Hill High School in Texas where he was a four-star prospect.
Christian Henderson OL
Christian Henderson is a offensive lineman who comes to Jackson State as a junior after previous stops at Copiah-Lincoln Community College and Louisiana Tech. While at La Tech Henderson appeared in 20 games as a redshirt freshman and sophomore. Henderson was all-district three times in high school and was selected to play in the Mississippi-Alabama All Star game.
Jason Mercier DL
Jason Mercier will join the Jackson State defensive line after previously playing at Florida International University. Mercier joins the program as a junior. In 2020 Mercier started four of five games and led the defensive line in solo tackles with twelve.
In his sophomore year, Mercier recorded 15 tackles, coming off of a 31 tackle season as a freshman. Jason came out of high school as a three-star prospect and had 29 total offers to play college football.
Mike Pleas, Jr. LB
Mike Pleas comes to Jackson State as a freshman after playing at Southern Miss. University. Pleas started two games, appearing in eight as a freshman. He had 12 total tackles, four of those solo. Pleas was a three-star recruit in high school.
Josh Griffis DL
The Tigers added beef on the defensive line with the addition of three-star Josh Griffis. Griffis was a part of the 2020 recruiting class for Florida State before entering the transfer portal in August. He signs after a stint at IMG Academy. Griffis played in seven games as a freshman with the Seminoles, making four tackles including one tackle for a loss of five yards.
Evan Henry OL
Evan Henry arrives at Jackson State as a former All Sun-Belt offensive lineman from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Henry played in three games in 2021 but made the All Sun-Belt team in 2020. Henry was a two-year starter as an offensive guard at DeSoto High School in Texas.
Zach Breaux OL
Also from UL-Monroe is offensive lineman Zach Breaux. The three-star recruit was a two-year starter for Coach Mark Bonis at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans, La. Breaux is 6’4″ and 317 pounds.
Frankie Burgess LB
Frankie Burgess is a 6-3, 215-pound Outside Linebacker from Pahokee, FL. He is a former three star recruit who comes to Jackson State from the University of Maryland.
Alejandro Mata Kicker
Mata joins the Jackson State program directly from Buford High School in Buford, GA. He’s 5’10” and 170 pounds but the most important part is his leg. The highly accurate kicker should help shore up the kicking game at JSU.