Junior College National Signing Day 2014: Top Recruit Commitments and Reaction
It doesn't command the same attention as its high school counterpart, but the path to a national championship for every college football team starts with junior college national signing day. Wednesday was the first day when all of the country's top JUCO players decided on their future.
Every year, there are valuable contributors on top college programs who came from junior college programs. There are times when they go on to become high draft picks in the NFL, with Cam Newton being the most notable recent example.
As coaching staffs have set the stage for 2015, here is a look at the top recruiting commitments from the junior college national signing say and reaction to some of the biggest moves.
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| 1 | Jovon Robinson, RB | Georgia Military College | Auburn |
| 2 | Alvin Kamara, RB | Hutchinson Community College | Tennessee |
| 3 | Marquavius Lewis, DE | Hutchinson Community College | South Carolina |
| 4 | Devonte Fields, DE | Trinity Valley Community College | Undecided |
| 5 | D.J. Jones, DT | East Mississippi Community College | Mississippi |
| 6 | Davon Durant, LB | Butler Community College | Arizona State |
| 7 | Tony Bridges, CB | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | Mississippi |
| 8 | Donald Gray, WR | Copiah-Lincoln Community College | Mississippi State |
| 9 | Jason Smith, ATH | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | Auburn |
| 10 | Martinas Rankin, OT | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | Mississippi State |
Full list of JUCO prospects, measurables and commitments can be found via 247Sports.
Top Stories
Jovon Robinson, RB (Committed to Auburn)
According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Robinson is the highest-graded 4-star prospect in this year's class. Auburn was fortunate enough to land his commitment.
He was a part of the Tigers' 2012 recruiting class under former head coach Gene Chizik but was ruled ineligible to play due to an issue with his grades being changed out of high school, per Charles Goldberg of AL.com.
Over two years later, Robinson is back at Auburn and ready to lead the potent rushing attack that has averaged at least 258.5 yards per game in two years under Gus Malzahn.
Robinson has already made his presence felt in practice, scoring a touchdown, per Brandon Marcello of AL.com:
"The nation's top junior college prospect scored a touchdown in a scrimmage on his first day of practice with the Tigers Monday, though he "got robbed" initially, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. A graduate assistant on the defensive staff said the 5-foot-11, 225-pound Robinson stepped out of bounds at the 2-yard line.
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Marcello also noted that Robinson "should" compete right away for the starting job next year following the graduation of Cameron Artis-Payne, who ran for 1,482 yards and 11 touchdowns. Running backs coach Tim Horton says in Marcello's piece that the team wants to work him into the mix "slowly."
Malzahn echoed those sentiments at a press conference on Monday as the Tigers prepare for a matchup with Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl, saying, "(Robinson) just got here and just trying to get him slowly acclimated and everything that goes with it," via James Crepea of the Montgomery Advertiser.
Given the way Malzahn's offense works, Auburn can never have too many running backs. The good news is they appear to be loading up on talent at the position, headlined by the return of Robinson.
Marquavius Lewis, DE (Committed to South Carolina)
Steve Spurrier's South Carolina team entered 2014 perceived as a national title contender. The Gamecocks were ranked ninth in The Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll but fell on hard times due to a defense that allowed 31.2 points per game.
Marquavius Lewis, the No. 3 JUCO recruit and top-rated strong-side defensive end by 247Sports' composite system, should be able to help Spurrier fix the defense quickly. The South Carolina native is staying close to home so he can play for the Gamecocks, though not without some drama.
Auburn was making a late push, but Wes Mitchell of GamecocksCentral.com reported Lewis was going to honor his initial commitment to South Carolina:
"The 6-foot-4, 271-pound prospect, who is originally from Greenwood HS, has been committed to South Carolina since July, but the Gamecocks had to withstand a late push from Auburn, where he took an official visit in November.
Asked if he had made a final decision between South Carolina and Auburn, Lewis responded: "Yes. I'll be signing with USC today."
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Keith Niebuhr of 247Sports reported on Twitter that new Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp did have a chance to speak with Lewis in an effort to get him to flip:
Mitchell offered this tweet about which way Lewis was leaning from the sight of the star defensive end's signing ceremony:
Mitchell also noted that Lewis was a JUCO All-American in 2014 after posting 63 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.
Lewis certainly looks the part of an impact edge-rusher at 6'4" and 271 pounds, which is exactly what Spurrier's defense needs. The Gamecocks finished tied for 121st in the nation with one sack per game last season, per TeamRankings.com.
No one will confuse Mitchell with Jadeveon Clowney, but the Gamecocks found out the hard way how much they need a pass-rusher to succeed in the SEC. Lewis is a piece of the puzzle to bring South Carolina back to prominence in the conference.
Mississippi Schools Have Big Day
One of the keys to success for any school, especially those in football hotbeds like the south or California, is keeping the best recruits in their home state.
No state illustrated that better on Wednesday than Mississippi, which had four of the top 10 JUCO prospects (D.J. Jones, Tony Bridges, Donald Gray, Martinas Rankin) in 247Sports' composite rankings commit to Mississippi or Mississippi State.
The Rebels and Bulldogs should be major players in the 2015 recruiting season based on their success in 2014. Ole Miss has seen a gradual progression in three years under Hugh Freeze, winning seven games in his first season, eight in 2013 and nine in 2014 (not including the bowl game).
Jones was a pleasant surprise for Freeze's recruiting class, as he flipped his commitment from Florida State, per David Johnson of 247Sports:
Bridges gives the Rebels more depth at cornerback, but he also serves another purpose that was pointed out by Austin Miller of the Ole Miss Sports Blog:
B/R National Football Recruiting analyst Tyler Donohue noted that Bridges and Jones helped the team land the top-ranked players at three different positions:
Quarterback Chad Kelly is a significant get for Freeze because Bo Wallace's Mississippi career is over after the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31.
Mississippi State had been consistently winning seven or eight games under Dan Mullen the last few years, but few would have predicted the Bulldogs would go 10-2 in 2014 and spend five weeks atop the AP Top 25 rankings.
Gray, the top-ranked wide receiver from Copiah-Lincoln, had an official visit with Mississippi State over the weekend and talked about the experience with Robbie Faulk of 247Sports:
"The music playing got the players going throughout practice and that was really fun to watch. I didn’t really see much from the receivers because I got there late Friday and didn’t see Jameon (Lewis) Saturday. Since they want to use me like they used him, I wanted to see him in action.
The biggest thing I got to do with the coaches was just trying to get mentally acclimated with everything. They want effort on and off the field. They mentioned they want to use me in punt return and in the slot, but they want mostly effort.
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Jameon Lewis finished the regular season third on the team with 27 receptions and fifth with 317 receiving yards, so Gray will have big shoes to fill next year. The good news is he will have some help, assuming quarterback Dak Prescott returns for his senior season.
Speaking of Prescott, he's going to get some help as well. Martinas Rankin is a 6'5", 300-pound offensive lineman who could be in the mix for a starting job next season, per Courtney Cronin of The Clarion-Ledger:
The SEC has power all over the country, but it's the ability to keep its own players that makes it the preeminent conference in college football.
That was only confirmed on Wednesday, as eight of the top 10 and 16 of the top 36 JUCO prospects signed with schools in the SEC so far.
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