Meet College Football's Next Wave of JUCO Transfer Stars

College football programs are always looking for instant-impact players in every recruiting cycle. Coaches hunt for the athletes whose game could translate into playing time at the next level and press hard for their signatures on national signing day.

But a couple of months before the highly touted 5-star high school players finalize their college decisions in the first week of February, another group of football stars make their school choices in a less-glamorized manner. 

Junior college transfers have a higher first-year success rate than most signees, and plenty of programs have used these underrated talents to change their fates in a short amount of time.

Whether it's due to academics, off-the-field issues or just needing more time to develop, these players come into the FBS ranks with more experience than the heralded high schoolers.

Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Jason-Pierre Paul and Bruce Irvin played JUCO ball before becoming big-time NFL players. All-time greats Keyshawn Johnson, Warren Moon, O.J. Simpson and Roger Staubach started their careers at two-year schools.

In the most recent class of players to go onto the NFL, Randy Gregory, Nick Marshall, Martrell Spaight, Jaelen Strong and Kevin White excelled at the FBS level after time spent at a junior college.

Meet seven JUCO transfers who, according to the experienced coaches who led them these last two years, have great chances at starring during the 2015 college football season and joining some of those stars at the next level.

Auburn RB Jovon Robinson: "Is There Anything This Kid Can't Do?"

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

The term "do-it-all back" is often overused by coaches when they talk about their talented rushers. 

But Georgia Military College offensive coordinator Ross Robinson basically saw Auburn running back Jovon Robinson do it all in his two-year junior college stint.

"Jovon can run around you," Ross told Bleacher Report. "He can run over you. He can make you miss. Top to bottom, he's got all the tools."

Ross can tell you of the time in 2013—the year Jovon set the single-season JUCO rushing mark with 2,387 yards—when Jovon broke five tackles on a 22-yard touchdown run against New York's ASA College. In that record-smashing season, Jovon scored multiple rushing touchdowns in all but one game.

Then there are the multiple stories from 2014 of how Jovon battled through nagging injuries and still averaged seven yards per carry. Even when he was less than 100 percent, defenses still couldn't handle his elite mix of speed, strength, agility and vision.

And then there's the time in junior college when he added kicking to his list of skills.

In the final game of GMC's 2014 season, the Bulldogs were without their starting kicker due to a suspension, and their backup entered the halftime locker room with an injury. The staff needed someone who could do the kickoff to start the third quarter.

Jovon volunteered.

"He lined it up straight on—and kicked it out of the back of the end zone," Ross said. "Our radio announcer put it best when he goes, 'Is there anything this kid can’t do?'"

Now Jovon will put his all-around skills to the test in the SEC with Auburn, the team he signed with out of high school before an NCAA investigation found his high school grades were altered.

Head coach Gus Malzahn wanted Jovon back on the Plains after his standout seasons in Georgia—and the Tigers won a head-to-head battle with rival Alabama for his signature.

"Gus is one of those guys who will ride that horse until it bucks, you know?" Ross said. "That’s one of the things that made Jovon go back to Auburn. Coach Malzahn said, 'Look, I'm gonna give it to you as many times as you can tote it.'"

The 6'0", 230-pound Robinson fits the mold of the every-down back that Auburn has used to perfection in Malzahn's two seasons as head coach. Tre Mason and Cameron Artis-Payne took that role and became the leading rushers in the SEC in back-to-back seasons, and Jovon Robinson has the talent to pull off the three-peat.

"Jovon is that special," Ross said. "In 2006, my last year as an assistant at UAB, we played Oklahoma to start the season, and Adrian Peterson is the only running back I’ve seen in person that is better than Jovon.

"He's determined over at Auburn. That's the one word I would use to describe Jovon. He's going to find ways to make things work, period. He's going to do whatever you need him to do."

Even if that means taking a kickoff every now and then.

Florida State OLB Lorenzo Phillips: Worth the Wait

Courtesy: 247Sports

Florida State signed some truly elite high school talent in its class of 2015, including the 5-star trio of Josh Sweat, Derwin James and Tarvarus McFadden.

But one of the 20 Seminole signees sticks out among the rest of the blue-chip stars—Lorenzo Phillips, a linebacker from two-time defending JUCO national champion East Mississippi Community College.

The Seminoles mostly stick to building their highly ranked recruiting classes with high school athletes. But as the lone 2015 pickup from the JUCO ranks, Phillips will have a unique role to play in Tallahassee.

"When a school goes out of its norm, there's obviously a need," EMCC defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley told Bleacher Report. "I think that was a need for Florida State throughout Lorenzo's recruitment process. With what the kid can do as a football player, he might not have the most stars next to his name, but I'd put him up against anyone else athletically."

Phillips, who decided to leave LSU due to academic reasons in January 2014, was the star of an EMCC defense that put up numbers normally reserved for "junior varsity" mode on the old NCAA Football video games.

The Lions allowed just 7.5 points per game in their second straight 12-0 season and outscored opponents 269-0 during a five-game stretch. They didn't allow a single rushing touchdown in the regular season.

Phillips was a first-team NJCAA All-American after recording 46 tackles, 14 sacks and two defensive touchdowns in 2014. 

"Lorenzo is a true linebacker," Lesley said. "He stood up all the time, but we asked him to do different things. Most of them were to rush the quarterback—and he had 14 sacks last season and could've easily had 20. But we took him out of the game a lot with the scores how they were."

Lesley said Phillips was able to put up those gaudy numbers while playing outside of his natural position because of his top-notch athleticism. No matter where the coaching staff played Phillips, he was still able to make huge plays.

"His first step is so explosive, I don't really know if it gets any faster," Lesley said. "There's a lot of different things you can do with him, whether it's spying at linebacker or just straight rushing...He just eliminated any type of perimeter run game out there because there wasn't a back in our league that could outrun him. His speed and agility enable him to do everything."

Now in Tallahassee, Phillips is close to clearing just one more obstacle before being able to play in a Power Five conference again. According to Bob Ferrante of 247Sports, Florida State is still waiting on Phillips' official transcript, but head coach Jimbo Fisher said last week Phillips will be cleared for participation soon.

The Seminoles are more than ready to see Phillips on the practice field for the first time. The JUCO star should be able to step right into FSU's rotation at linebacker.

"No newcomer on defense may be more necessary than the 6'2", 225-pound redshirt junior who came from the junior college ranks," Chris Nee of 247Sports wrote. "FSU lacks depth, and honestly, talent, at the linebacker spot. Phillips would provide both."

Inside or outside, against the run or against the pass, Phillips is everything a school could ask for in a linebacker. Florida State went after a JUCO talent at linebacker for a reason, and he looks ready to live up to those high expectations.

Oklahoma WR Dede Westbrook: Making Everyone Else Better

Alonzo Adams/Associated Press

After an 8-5 campaign that started with national title dreams, Oklahoma needed to inject some improvement into its ranks this offseason. Head coach Bob Stoops shifted the power structure on the defensive staff and brought in East Carolina offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley.

The Sooners made another instant-impact move when they signed wide receiver Dede Westbrook from Blinn College in Texas last December.

Blinn head coach Keith Thomas, who played tight end at Oklahoma on Barry Switzer's 1974 and 1975 national championship teams and later served as an assistant there in the late 1990s, said his alma mater will definitely be boosted by Westbrook's presence.

"I've had a bunch of guys I've coached go to the league," Thomas told Bleacher Report. "And I think Dede is a guy who can do that and help OU out in a big way."

Thomas had first seen Westbrook, originally a low 3-star recruit in high school, play in 2012 while working in a non-football capacity at Blinn. Westbrook then took a year off from playing football and faced a crossroads.

"At that point in my life I really didn't know what I wanted to do or if I wanted to further my football career,” Westbrook told Ryan Aber of the Oklahoman. "I went home and had a long talk with family and friends and they told me that's where I needed to be just for my love of the game."

Westbrook returned to Blinn for the 2014 season, Thomas' first as head coach of the Buccaneers. But the wide receiver had to make a special arrangement first.

"Dede came up to me and said, 'Coach, I have to pick up my kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays,'" Thomas said. "They were about 40 miles down the road. I told him to go pick his kids up and bring them to practice. We had one of our trainers riding with them in golf carts during practices.

"He's one of those guys who is going to take care of his family first."

Westbrook's sophomore campaign at Blinn put him on the path to provide even more for his family in the future. He led all JUCO receivers in 2014 with 1,487 yards and 13 touchdowns, earning first-team All-NJCAA honors and a dozen scholarship offers.

Speed and versatility made Westbrook stand out during his first practices at Oklahoma—he gained 22 yards on a reverse and 28 yards on a simple screen during the Sooners' spring game—but his hands are what Thomas believes will separate Westbrook from the pack in Norman.

"I can't remember a time he dropped a ball here," Thomas said. "In a practice or during a game, either way, he wasn't dropping that ball. When I talked to him at OU after the spring, he told me they had him down for just one drop the entire camp—and he said a linebacker actually tipped it first."

Even though Oklahoma returns Sterling Shepard and Durron Neal this season, Westbrook is already projected to play early and often this fall.

"That guy can flat out go," Shepard said at Big 12 media days, per Ryan Gerbosi of the Dallas Morning News. "He’s definitely a missing piece to the puzzle. I can’t wait for him to show his stuff on Saturdays, it’s going to wow everybody for sure."

His skill set and attitude are just what Oklahoma needed after a disappointing 2014.

"He's always smiling, always energized," Thomas said. "He’s a mature person who handles himself well and will always work hard for you. He’s a great player and a great human being. He’s going to make everyone around him better, on and off the field, because of his work ethic."

Oklahoma State RB Chris Carson: Promise and Potential

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

After failing to produce a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the last two seasons, a run game revitalization is needed at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys think they have found an answer to their downturn in production, and the media who cover the Big 12 think so, too.

Chris Carson, who spent the last two seasons at Butler Community College in Kansas, was the media's preseason pick to win the Big 12's Newcomer of the Year award during media days in July. 

The nod going to Carson may be a bit of a surprise at first glance, as he didn't go through spring practice with the Cowboys. His victory in the vote was purely based on potential.

But for Brice Vignery, Butler's co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach, all the preseason hype headed toward Carson is deserved.

"He just wants to win and run the ball as hard as he can," Vignery told Bleacher Report. "He's hungry, and I think he has a great shot to win that award...At Oklahoma State, they’re going to use him, and he's going to fulfill every hope and dream they have for him."

Unlike some feature backs who come out of the JUCO ranks, the 6'1", 215-pound back doesn't have much wear-and-tear on him.

"In the two years that he was here, he really didn’t get used to his full potential. We threw the ball a little bit more than we ran it," Vignery said. "Chris really hasn’t been beat up yet. He'll be fresh. They'll be able to give him the ball 25 to 30 times a game—and he can handle it."

While his physical gifts received a ton of attention during his recruitment, Vignery said Carson's mind is what will make him a star running back at Oklahoma State.

"One of the first things I noticed about him on the field was his knowledge of the game and his ability to pick things up quickly—his football savvy," Vignery said. "He just picked up on everything really well. He’s a very intelligent player, and that allows him to play very fast."

Carson, a Georgia native, was originally committed to join the already-stacked running back depth chart for his home state Bulldogs. 

But then Oklahoma State started ramping up its recruiting efforts for the talented 4-star back. Carson saw a situation for immediate playing time in one of the nation's power conferences—something that would be tough to get behind the likes of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel at Georgia.

Now at Oklahoma State, Carson will be looked on as the No. 1 guy for a rushing attack that has been underwhelming in recent seasons.

"In JUCO, we don’t have that fifth-year senior guy to lead a team, but I would say going into the spring of his sophomore season, he became that guy for us," Vignery said. "And he can definitely be that guy at Oklahoma State. He never quits. Everyone—from the coaches to the players to the fans—they'll see that, and they'll want to get behind that.

"He's more than ready for this opportunity. He's more than ready to lead the Big 12 in rushing. He's really only just begun his journey."

Ole Miss DT D.J. Jones: The Total Package

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

While Lorenzo Phillips excelled on the edge for East Mississippi Community College's unbelievable title-winning defense, D.J. Jones made sure there was more than enough strength down the middle.

A native of South Carolina, Jones started at defensive tackle for a pair of national championship squads in 2013 and 2014. From the moment Jones stepped onto campus in Scooba, Mississippi, his coaches knew he would be something special.

"D.J. Jones is the best I've seen at that position. He's got that combination of speed, quickness, power and that whole deal," Lesley told Bleacher Report. "He's not as tall as those 6'4" or 6'5" defensive tackles you normally see in the SEC, but he can still do it all. The skills he has—they're the best I've ever been around."

In the Lions' primary four-man front, Jones carved out a starting spot as a freshman alongside Jarran Reed, who is now starring on Alabama's elite defensive line.

Reed, already a highly touted recruit, was specifically targeted by opposing offensive linemen each and every week of the 2013 season.

That opened the door for Jones to record an incredible eight sacks from his spot on the interior.

"You don't normally get that production from a nose guard, you just don't," Lesley said. "The center is gonna slide to him, and generally, he's gonna get double-teamed. Well, Jarran Reed at the three-technique ate up a lot of the attention, but what they didn’t realize is how good D.J.'s combination of strength and quickness was."

In 2014, Jones attracted all of the double-teams Reed used to get, but he still was able to record four sacks and a total of 8.5 tackles for loss as the Lions won another national title.

Jones was originally committed to Florida State, but he flipped to Ole Miss last December, joining EMCC star quarterback Chad Kelly as potential stars on the Rebels' roster.

The massive tackle wasted no time in making an impact at Ole Miss. Jones was named the 14th-strongest player in college football by Chase Goodbread of NFL.com—all before taking a single snap in Division I play.

"There's no knocking the weightlifting program at East Mississippi Community College," Goodbread wrote. "That's where Jones came from, and the new Rebels transfer stepped onto the Oxford, Miss., campus as one of the team's strongest players from Day 1. He bench-presses 440 pounds, squats 650, and has a clean max of 330. At 6'0", 324 pounds, he could be an anchor inside for Ole Miss."

With Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze also making special mention of Jones' athleticism to Riley Blevins of the Clarion Ledger in spring camp, Jones has already showcased a total package of tackle talent to the excellent "Land Sharks" so far this year.

After dominating at EMCC with several of the SEC's top JUCO transfers, Jones will line up next to a former No. 1 overall recruit on a downright scary defensive line.

"The thought of him playing with Robert Nkemdiche, man," Lesley said with a laugh. "It's gonna be a really, really good problem to have for those guys. That’s gonna be a lot of fun to watch, period."

South Carolina DE Dante Sawyer: An Unorthodox Journey

Courtesy: 247Sports

Life after Jadeveon Clowney wasn't kind to South Carolina, especially for the defensive line the No. 1 overall draft pick owned during his days in Columbia. After an underwhelming 7-6 season, South Carolina's front four is in the process of rebirth this season thanks to several newcomers.

Marquavius Lewis has the hype as the top defensive player from the JUCO ranks. Ulric Jones has the size at a massive 6'5" and 300 pounds.

And Dante Sawyer has an incredible story to go with his excellent versatility.

Sawyer was one of South Carolina's top signees in its 2014 recruiting class, but he couldn't qualify academically.

After leaving high school early and getting his GED, Sawyer headed to East Mississippi with a unique goal—get a two-year degree in just three semesters so that he wouldn't miss more than one football season for South Carolina.

"He came with a plan, but his first semester wasn't very good," Lesley told Bleacher Report. "He was still a senior in high school. In the second semester, during the summer, it really kind of hit him about what was going to happen if he had another bad stretch."

Faced with an extremely heavy workload, Sawyer buckled down and turned things around academically.

"There are two things to do in Scooba, Mississippi—get in your books and play ball," Lesley said. "Instead of going to the mall or the movies or the club or wherever, these guys have to concentrate on the math or English test they have the next day...They have to prioritize their time and take care of what's important."

By the end of 2014, the No. 1-rated weak-side defensive end was on the road to South Carolina. According to Lesley, Sawyer is the only player in EMCC history to pull off such a feat with his school work.

"I'm just trying to tell people 'never give up,'" Sawyer told Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May. "That's what this is about—never giving up on your dreams."

Sawyer brought that attitude to the football field, too, during the times he wasn't hitting the books. He recovered from a shoulder injury suffered late in his high school career to star for the Lions' elite defense and remain a 4-star prospect. 

The Georgia native brought tremendous length to an already-stacked defensive line in Scooba. He played both defensive end and defensive tackle for EMCC, recording 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in his one season of work.

"Anyone who's long like that with big hands and big arms should be a great pass-rusher because they can naturally create separation," Lesley said. "He had a couple of outstanding plays in the [Mississippi junior college] state championship game out of the 3 technique. He had two sack-fumbles, and Lorenzo [Phillips] scooped one of them and went for a touchdown."

Those attributes should be on full display for Sawyer this fall in Columbia. He's already lining up at both positions along the defensive line in fall camp for the Gamecocks, who finished last in the SEC in sacks last season with only 14 in 13 contests.

"I’m loving [South Carolina's system]," Sawyer said earlier this month, per John Del Bianco of 247Sports. "It’s allowing us to get out make plays, do what we can, and get in the backfield. Right now, I'm playing a three-technique, but in certain situations I can go out and play end.

"It doesn’t matter to me as long as I just get out on that field."

Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara: Resetting the Video Game Talent

Courtesy: 247Sports

Two years ago, Alvin Kamara was at Alabama, fresh off a state title campaign at Norcross High School in Georgia and ready for his first season with the then-defending national champions.

But Kamara didn't last long in Tuscaloosa. He left the school following a freshman season that included two separate suspensions.

Kamara then landed at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. Before playing a single game at the JUCO level, Kamara announced he would be back in the SEC in 2015—this time with the Tennessee Volunteers.

The former 4-star running back already knew where he was headed after his one and only season at Hutchinson, but he didn't slack in his work for the Dragons.

He ran for 1,211 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging seven yards per touch.

Call it a much-needed reset for a player whose JUCO highlights made the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Michael Carvell say he looked like "a human video game."

"Alvin is a very special player," Hutchinson head coach Rion Rhoades told Carvell last November. "He had a great year for us... He did a lot of things with running the ball and catching the ball out of the backfield. He showed good leadership."

Kamara's excellent 2014 season reminded Rhoades of another former Tennessee star from the JUCO ranks—wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who later became a first-round NFL draft pick for the Minnesota Vikings.

"Alvin is freakish like Cordarrelle Patterson, who played here," Rhoades told Carvell. "I would say that Alvin is the only one who approaches that ability level here in my time at Hutchinson. They are both in that super elite category, in my opinion."

Tennessee would love a Patterson-level impact for its offense this season.

The Volunteers are loaded with 10 returning starters on that side of the ball, but star sophomore running back Jalen Hurd didn't have much depth behind him last year.

Now the 5'11" Kamara is in Knoxville, and he'll combine with the 6'3" Hurd for what should be a devastating one-two punch of tremendously athletic running backs.

"Oh, yeah. It's exciting, 'cause me and Jalen kind of feed off each other, and even though today Jalen was no contact, he's sitting there exciting that I’m out there running. And then I'm excited like he's about to go in," Kamara told Bleacher Report's Brad Shepard. "It's fun. It's gonna be real fun when he's full-go and both us are on the field together."

The Volunteers already have a nickname for the deadly duo—"CMG," which stands for the "Chain-Moving Gang."

The nickname shows cooperation in the running back tandem. Kamara knows he won't step into Tennessee and be the No. 1 running back from day one, and he seems fine with that.

"All the greats have somebody to compete against," Kamara told Steve Megargee of the Associated Press during Tennessee's spring camp. "If you don't have anybody pushing you, what fun is it? Me and Jalen, he knows I'm good, I know he's good. We just push each other, and we get good results."

With so much experienced talent in Knoxville for 2015, the Volunteers hope the addition of Kamara will keep those good results going—and those chains moving—all fall long.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.