Jax State Gamecocks head coach Charles Kelly recently introduced 23 new signees for the class of 2025. Of the 23 players, eleven signed out of the transfer portal, ten signed out of high school, and two are early enrollees.
Twelve of these new players represent Alabama as their home state. The next most popular home states in the class were Georgia and Florida.
“I give a lot of credit to everyone in our organization, not only our on-field coaches that do a tremendous job evaluating these prospects,” said Kelly. “We had to speed the evaluation process up because that’s the key to recruiting and making sure you’re recruiting the right people. I give our staff a ton of credit for being able to do it in a time crunch.”
Transfer Portal Signees:
Myles Butler
Linebacker / Campbellsville University / Carrollton, GA.
Recorded 29 total tackles with 4 for a loss of yards and 2 sacks. Added two interceptions and two pass breakups as well.
Cam Cook
Running Back / Texas Christian University / Round Rock, TX.
Led TCU in rushing yards last season with 460. Out of high school, he was ranked the No. 23 running back in the country.
Jacob Cruz
Defensive Line / Georgia Tech / Acworth, GA
Georgia Region 6-2A Defensive Player of the Year. Played in 19 games over two years at Georgia Tech.
Cade Cunningham
Quarterback / University of Memphis / Wake Forest, N.C.
Won the AutoZone Liberty Bowl for the 2023 season. Spent his freshman year at Marshall and the last two seasons at Memphis.
Rod Elston
Safety / Auburn University / Anniston, AL.
Earned 6A All-State honors as a senior at Oxford HS. Played in three games at Auburn and recorded three tackles.
Harison Hamsley
Tight End / Valdosta State University / Valdosta, GA.
Helped the Blazers reach the NCAA Division II Championship game where he recorded a pair of receptions. Earned All-State honors at Valwood Prep.
Deondre Johnson
Wide Receiver / Rutgers University / Newburgh, N.Y.
Was the top athlete prospect in New York out of high school. In college, he has spent the last two seasons at Rutgers, seeing playing time as a true freshman.
Khurtiss Perry
Defensive Line / Virginia Tech / Montgomery, AL.
Named to the US Army All-American Bowl. Spent the first two years of college at Alabama and last year with Virginia Tech. Was the No. 2 ranked player in Alabama out of high school.
Larry Preston
Defensive Back / Murray State University / Apopka, FL.
In 11 games for the Racers, he totaled 23 tackles and two pass breakups. While playing for FIU in the 2023 season, he recorded 12 tackles.
Tyrin Taylor
Defensive Back / University of Memphis / Huntersville, N.C.
Won the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in 2023. Last year Taylor started three games and recorded nine tackles, two pass breakups, and an interception.
Gavin Wimsatt
Quarterback / University of Kentucky / Owensboro, KY.
Played in eight games, completing 287 yards and three touchdowns. Was Kentucky’s third-leading rusher with 183 yards and two touchdowns.
High School Signees:
Khari Bendolph
Linebacker / Naples HS / Naples, FL.
Received First-Team Naples News All-Area honors. Totaled 112 tackles, four sacks, four forced fumbles, and two blocked field goals.
JQ Brooks
Cornerback / Hueytown HS / Hueytown, AL.
Earned a spot in the North/South All-Star game and was ranked a top 50 player in Alabama by 247Sports. Led his team to a perfect record (6-0) in 6A Area 4.
Gabe Glover
Wide Receiver / Houston Academy / Dothan, AL.
Was #1 in the state in receiving yards with 1639 total yards. Also had 69 catches and 25 touchdowns. Led his team to the 3A State Finals and recorded seven catches for 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the championship game.
Luke Gilbert
Tight End / Pisgah HS / Pisgah, AL.
Won Gadsden Times Small Class All-Area Player of the Year. As a dual threat quarterback, he passed for 1,564 yards and seven touchdowns and tacked on 1,444 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.
Quay Hood
Defensive Line / Decatur HS / Decatur, GA.
Received All-State honors. Was top ten in Georgia for sacks, recording 14. Had 76 tackles including 28 for negative yards. Also, had three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Ian Mitchell
Linebacker / Pleasant Grove HS / Pleasant Grove, AL.
Named to the North-South All-Star game. Recorded 55 total tackles, including 19 for a loss of yards, and an astounding 14 sacks. This helped earn a spot in the 4A second-team all-state.
Jack Moran
Quarterback / The Hun School / Hillsborough, N.J.
2024 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year. Accomplished a state-record of 4,513 yards and 47 touchdowns. In a career game against Mt. Zion Prep, he completed 25 passes for 608 yards and seven touchdowns.
Wes Ryan
Tight End / Shorecrest Prep / St. Petersburg, FL.
Third-team All-State performaner. A star on both sides of the ball, Ryan recorded 659 receiving yards, four touchdowns, and 16 tackles for loss.
Jameson Scissum
Athlete / Etowah HS / Attalla, AL.
A multi-sport athlete who also plans to play baseball for the Gamecocks. Finished 12th in Alabama in total yardage with 2,991 (2,056 passing and 935 rushing).
Timothy Taylor Jr.
Defensive Line / Williston HS / Starke, FL.
Gainesville Sun All-Area Small School Team. Recorded 48 total tackles with 12 for a loss of yards and nine sacks. Also, recorded to fumble recoveries.
Early Enrollees:
Temarion Foster
Defensive Back / Inlet Grove HS / Riviera Beach, FL.
Played both sides of the ball. On the defensive side, he recorded 11 pass breakups, three tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles. On offense, he totaled 489 yards and one touchdown.
RJ Rainer
Defensive Back / William A. Hough HS / Cornelius, N.C.
Played in the 2024 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and was named one of the week’s top performers by On3. TG
Cover photo: AmFirst Stadium. Photo courtesy Jax State Athletics.
