Monday, January 31, 2011

Recruiting Update

It will all shake out on Wednesday, but here are some rumors/reports on Gamecock recruiting:

DaMarcus James. The 3 Star rated running back from Demopolis originally committed to Washington State. He reopened his recruitment to stay close to home and Jacksonville State apparently is in the lead.


Michael Thornton. A running back from Thomasville High School has apparently committed to Jacksonville State. He rushed for over 150 yards in the state championship game.

Jordan Jackson. Tallahassee.com reports that this 6-2, 225 pound DE/TE from Florida High has committed to Jacksonville State. Jackson also apparently had offers from Iowa State.


Brandon Bender. Bender is an athlete from Mcadory High School. Scout.com lists him as a soft Jacksonville State commitment, but say that he recently took an official visit to Pitt.


Jerry Slota. The Anniston Star reports that Slota has committed to JSU. He is a 6-2, 225 lb. qb/te/lb. Slota originally walked on at Colorado, but transferred to DeAnza Junior College where he earned all-star honors.


Brayden Walker. The Star also reports that Cleburne County linebacker Brayden Walker has committed to the Gamecocks. Walker's youtube highlights are really impressive and he ran a 4.56 40 at JSU's camp.




As far as we know, the earlier commitments from the following players remain solid: OL- Taylor Warner, DE- Micky Jackson, Ath/RB- Rashod Byers, DB- Jamaal Johnson. We have heard that offensive line prospect Hayden Naumann committed to UAB.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Question from a Reader

Q: Is JSU recruiting any wide receivers this year? Thanks.

A: The team is bringing back Alan Bonner, James Shaw, and Kevyn Cooper from last season's team. Last year's recruits Gabriel Chambers and Jeremy Nicholson will be on the field in 2011. Chambers brings great speed and a winning tradition with him. Nicholson's play in summer camp last year leaves no doubt that he will be a very good player.

We haven't heard of a high school senior at wide reciever that is being recruited, but we could have missed something there. We do hear that there may be a big name receiver that is looking to transfer. This person is still enrolled at another school and would be looking to transfer at the end of the semester.

Monday, January 24, 2011

King Kong Coulahan Is Back

Great news for the Gamecock defensive line, Kyle "King Kong" Coulahan is back. Coulahan, a Rivals 3 Star product from Pensacola, originally signed with Auburn but then transferred to JSU. Coulahan participated in Spring practice, but was not on the team last Fall. We understand he has rejoined the team and is getting into fantastic shape.

At 6-5, 310 pounds Coulahan should definitely be able to help at noseguard. Tim McGee, the Gamecocks' starter last season, is out of eligibility. Michael Ellis, who started several games at noseguard last season, has moved to the offensive side of the ball.

Welcome back Kyle.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Great News- Byers Commits

According to the Florida Times Union: "Running back Rashod Byers committed to Jacksonville State. The 5-8, 172-pound Byers is a two-star prospect, according to Rivals."

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

DaMarcus James Considering Jacksonville State

AL.Com reports that running back DaMarcus James will visit Jacksonville State next weekend. Go to Al.com for the full story, here is a snippet:

"Demopolis running back DaMarcus James set a Class 5A state finals rushing record, rambling for 293 yards as a junior.

A powerhouse back, James stands 5-foot-9 and weighs close to 214 pounds, earning him an early offer from Pac-10 member Washington State."

Times-Georgian - Wiley continues to post big numbers for Jacksonville State

Times-Georgian - Wiley continues to post big numbers for Jacksonville State

Monday, January 17, 2011

More On Arias Lockheart

We are more excited about the addition of Arias Lockheart to the Gamecocks after watching these highlights. Four things stand out:

1) don't throw the fade on Lockheart;

2) Arias likes to break on the ball which would represent a marked departure from our apparent strategy at Tennessee Tech;

3) he likes to hit- see the 2:31 mark on the video; and

4) Lockheart also has the good sense to use Lil Wayne as the background music for his highlight video.


Possible Basketball Transfer

The Gamecocks may have picked up a basketball transfer in Terrence Turner, a 6-5, 210pound player from UNC-Asheville. While it would be nice to pick up a transfer from UNC-Chapel Hill, Turner sounds like a solid player. He averaged 10 points and 10 boards a night for a Fayette County (Ga.) high school team that advanced to the 4A State championship game.

Here is what the blog Georgiahoops.com had to say about his performance at an all star camp a couple of years ago:

"Simplicity and aggressiveness were the staples of his game. Turner attacked the glass with ease, owned the boards and passed the ball out of the post. He embodied the junk yard dog mentality. There wasn't a lot of flash but there was plenty of production. You can tell that Turner is a well taught prospect."

Schedule Update

We don't know when, but we are fairly confident that Jacksonville State's 3 non-conference games will be Kentucky, Georgia State and UTC. The Ga State game would be a home game for us. A quick though on each:

Kentucky- they lost to Ole Miss. We beat Ole Miss. Should be a win for the Gamecocks.

Georgia State. Can you take revenge for a game that you won? What would average attendance for JSU games be if we could sell beer like Georgia State does?

UTC. I didn't like their coaches comments after the game - basically insinuating they outplayed us. Memo to the UTC Coach-- The Gamecocks turned it over 4 times in the first half and still won the game. Early prediction: Tig might go midievil on them.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

3 Mid-Year Transfers

Here is some information about three mid-year enrollees at Jacksonville State that might help next season:

Alan Smith. Smith is a 6-2, 290 pound offensive lineman from Hinds Junior College by way of Pearl River Central High School. Smith, who played in the Mississippi Junior All Star classic will be a junior next season. The Gamecocks have had good luck with JUCO linemen from the Magnolia State, including former All Conference Center, Reggie Wade and a new starter on the team last year, Odie Rush. Lets hope Smith fits in well with that progeny.

Trey Smith. (no known relation to A. Smith). Trey Smith is a 6-4, 220 pound wide receiver that transferred in from Western Michigan. Smith is from Perry, Georgia, the same town that produced outstanding linebacker Gary Hunter in the mid-80s. Smith was a 2 Star rated product out of high school.

Arias Lockheart. Lockheart has already received a nomination for the All OVC all name team, but might be able to help the Gamecocks on the field as well. Lockheart is a corner from Highland Junior College in Kansas and boasts 4.37 speed. With the loss of T.J. Heath, corner is definitely a position where the Gamecocks could use some depth.

Outstanding Scout Team Players

Thanks to a reader for giving us the names of the award winners for outstanding scout team play in 2010.

On offense, the award winner was Jordan Allen from Roswell High School in metropolitan Atlanta. We believe Jordan played running back in high school and are searching for more information on this talented player.

On defense, Eric Russell, a linebacker, got the award. Russell sat out in 2010, but was the fifth leading tackler on the team despite seeing limited action in 2009. Russell, who was known to disrupt the starting offense while serving on the scout team, is no doubt going to challenge for a starting role in 2011. The talent at linebacker is a little scary with Russell, Spiderman, Big Texas Garrott, Brannon Byrd, James Powell, Jewon Williams, Chase Williams and maybe Monte Lewis.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Football Banquet Awards

The Gamecocks had their season ending banquet last weekend. Here are the award winners:

Offensive MVP: Jamal Young

Defensive MVP: Rodney Garrott

Special Teams MVP: Brooks Robinson

Academic Award: Jason Horton

Foxhole Award: Cory Freeman

Character Award: Curt Porter

Losing Jamal Young towards the end of the season was a tough blow. He provided big play potential and was a receiving threat out of the backfield. One wonders if Tennessee Tech or Wofford might have come out differently with him on the field.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

THE PIEDMONT CONNECTION

Christmas comes early for the Gamecocks. Perhaps the two top targets on the Gamecocks' recruiting board committed today. Internet reports are that Micky Jackson and Jamaal Johnson have both decided they want to be Gamecocks. Jackson is a 3 Star rated Defensive Lineman and Johnson is a 2 Star rated safety. It is apparent that the local boys have decided they want to bring a National Championship to JSU.

PERRILLOUX TO THE GIANTS

Eli who? Internet reports that former Gamecock Ryan Perrilloux has been signed by the New York football Giants.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

2011 Recruiting Targets

While it would be hard to surpass Jacksonville State's 2010 Recruiting Class, there are several big time targets on the horizon. Here is a look at a few high school players we hope commit to the Friendliest Campus in the South on Signing Day:

Mickey Jackson: DL, Piedmont, Alabama. The Gamecocks are desperate to sign some defensive linemen and Johnson would be a great fit. He is 6-1, 305 lbs and is rated a 3 Star player by Rivals. The Gamecocks are swimming in some deep waters in their efforts to sign Jackson. He has been offered by La. Tech, Memphis, Southern Miss and UAB among others. The Gamecocks may have an inside edge as one of the Blanchard boys coaches at Piedmont.

Jamaal Johnson. S, Piedmont, Alabama. How about a package deal? Piedmont has another player on the Gamecocks' recruiting radar. Johnson is a Rivals 2 Star prospect with offers from Southern Miss, Memphis and Lousiana Tech. Picking up these 2 players would give the Gamecocks a decidedly local flavor with Coty Blanchard and Country Chambers from Cherokee County, Jameson Wadley from Gadsden, Brent Tolson from Anniston and David Maness from Gadsden City. If the Gamecocks can sign the best players within 70 miles of JSU, they will compete for a national title.

Dustin Gayton, LB West Forsyth (Ga). Gayton is a GSWAA All State Player from Georgia.


Josh King, DB Mt. Zion HS (Ga). King is a burner with 4.4 speed in the 40. While not necessarily translating into offers, King has had interest from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia Tech and Vandy.

Taylor Warner, OL Jacksonville (Ala). Warner is committed to the Gamecocks. The Rivals 3 Star player is a huge pick up and should help solidify Jax State's offensive line for years to come.

Hayden Naumann OL Decatur HS (Ala). It would be huge if the Gamecocks could pick up this 6-5, 275 pound product of Decatur to go along with Warner. Naumann is a 2 Star rated palyer that was named the top lineman at the Elite Action Combine at Gadsden City High School. He also participated in the prestigous Alabama/Mississippi All Star Game.



Rick Rivers, DB Cocoa HS (Fla). Rivers is another speedster from Florida, a State that the Gamecocks recruit heavily. Rivers has drawn some interest from Auburn during the recruiting process.


Rashod Byers, RB First Coast HS (Fla). Jamal Young is gone and Calvin Middleton will be a Senior. Thus, the need for running backs is great. The Gamecocks would love to get Byers who possesses blazing speed. He has been offered by North Dakota (too cold) and Southern Miss (too hot) and drawn interest from a bunch of other schools. Rivals ranks Byers as a 2 Star prospect.


Tony Jackson, RB/S, Taylor City HS (Fl). A small, but fast running back.



Aaron Wimberly, RB South Gwinnett HS (Ga). Wimberly could be the jewel of the Gamecocks recruiting class. He is a 2 Star rated prospect by Rivals and has been offered by Troy State University. Wimberly has also drawn interest from Georgia and Tennessee.


The Gamecocks are also in the hunt on some MEGA-transfers. We will keep you posted.

gamecockreport.com

We came across a new website this morning covering Jacksonville State basketball: www.gamecockreport.com. The site contains a lot of information about the Gamecocks and has detailed statistical recaps of all the games.

Anniston Star - Gamecocks’ Bougher steps up at right time

Anniston Star - Gamecocks’ Bougher steps up at right time

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

JSU Band Director to Staff All-American Band

JSU Band Director to Staff All-American Band

Georgia Tech Finishes Non-Conference Play With Win over Jacksonville State; North Carolina Next | Women's Sports Blog Network: Women Talk Sports

Here is a detailed account (from a Georgia Tech perspective) of the Lady Gamecocks basketball game against Georgia Tech on Sunday. Despite the loss, this is one Jacksonville State athletic team headed in the right direction.


Georgia Tech Finishes Non-Conference Play With Win over Jacksonville State; North Carolina Next | Women's Sports Blog Network: Women Talk Sports