Gulf Coast loads up for 2016 football season

PERKINSTON — There's a pretty solid blueprint to win football games, and it's one that Mississippi Gulf Coast coach Chad Huff thinks his 2016 Bulldogs club follows.

"You win football games in the trenches," he said. "I think this is where we've got some experience and depth we didn't have last year."

Gulf Coast finished 8-3 and ranked eighth in the country after advancing to the MACJC championship game last year. The Bulldogs bring back four players who started or played significant snaps along an offensive line that piled up more than 200 yards rushing per game, leading them to be ranked fourth in the NJCAA preseason poll.

Offensive tackles D'Marcus Hayes (6-6, 315, So., Madison Central/Madison) and Kevin Haas (6-4, 280, So., St. Stanislaus/Kiln), both All-MACJC South Division First Team picks, are joined by guard Rishard Cook (6-3, 365, So., Hattiesburg/Hattiesburg) and center Randan Knight (6-2, 310, So., Oak Grove/Hattiesburg). Hayes is a top-10 JUCO offensive lineman prospect with offers from Arkansas, Louisville, Auburn, Mississippi State and Southern Miss, among others. Freshmen Stephon Cooper (6-1, 280, Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) and Treyvion Shannon (6-6, 270, Fr., Clarksdale/Clarksdale) figure to be in the mix for a starting spot, with Adrian Tate (6-8, 305, Fr., Murrah/Jackson) and Carter Wood (6-5, 285, Fr., Starkville Academy/Starkville) providing key depth.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, the most highly recruited junior college defensive end in the country anchors a group littered with veteran leadership and skilled freshmen.

More than 20 major colleges have offered scholarships to defensive end Isaiah Buggs (6-4, 285, Fr., Ruston/Ruston La.), including the entire SEC West. The sophomore from Ruston, La., had 59 tackles and four sacks last year while earning All-MACJC South Division honors, and he's added more weight while maintaining speed and quickness.

Other returnees on the line include Carson Jordan (6-3, 255, So., Hancock/Poplarville) and Marquan Thornton (6-1, 320, So., Cleveland/Cleveland Miss.), with Dylan Davis (6-3, 250, So., East Central/Hurley) moving over from offense. Louisville signee Mike Boykin (6-6, 280, Fr., Carrolton/Carrolton, Ga.) is expected to line up on the opposite side from Buggs.

Sophomore linebackers Reggio Dean (5-10, 215, So., Northeast Jones/Laurel) and Justin Stewart (6-0, 230, So., Northeast Jones/Laurel), former high school teammates, provide experience. Dean, an All-MACJC South Division Second Team pick, won MACJC Defensive Player of the Week twice last year, finishing second on the team with 86 tackles. Stewart chipped in with 52 tackles.

"Reggio and Justin are two really, really good football players who were key to our football team last year," Huff said. "And not just on the field, but in a leadership role with their attitude and positive energy. It's exciting to know you've got those guys on defense."

The defensive backs are a young group, but they are long, athletic and fast, with "tremendous upside," Huff said.

Sophomore Vaughnte Dorsey (5-11, 195, So., Cleveland/Cleveland, Miss.) returns after a 52-tackle season, as does Gulfport's Jay Jay Smith (6-1, 195, So.) and Octavis Johnson (6-0, 190, So., Clinch County/Homerville, Ga.). Smith, who has offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn and West Virginia, among others, had 18 tackles and broke up four passes. Tyler Glass (6-2, 197, Fr., Greenwood/Greenwood), Aretavious Hendrix (6-1, 180, Fr., Starkville/Starkville), Deon Cole (5-11, 205, Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) and Ty Peters (6-0, 200, Fr., D'Iberville/Tylertown) are part the talented class of freshmen.

Incoming quarterback Kalen Whitlow (6-1, 190, Fr., Northview/Dothan, Ala.) transferred from Western Carolina, and he has a pair of SEC recruits to throw to.

Returning starter Jonathan Nance (6-2, 187, So., Gulfport/Gulfport) caught 31 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns and has committed to Arkansas. Brandon Martin (6-4, 217, Fr., Prime Prep Academy/New Orleans) is one of the top two JUCO wideout recruits in the country after having signed with LSU coming out of high school.

"He's a guy that brings some strength and ability we didn't quite have last year," Huff said. "He's a downfield guy who can make some plays."

Lester Wells (6-0, 180, So., Adams County Christian/Natchez) made great progress late in the season, with 11 catches in the last three games. Freshmen tight ends Brandon Walley (6-5, 250, Fr., George County/George County) and Jake McDonald (6-3, 244, Fr., New Albany/New Albany) provide matchup problems for opposing defenses in two-tight end sets.

USM commitment T'Rod Daniels (5-9, 190, So., Bassfield/Bassfield) averaged 7.3 yards per rush on the way to 450 yards rushing and four touchdowns, while also proving dangerous in the return game. Ge'Vonte Jones (5-11, 175, So., Charleston/Charleston) ran for 563 yards and five touchdowns.

Gulf Coast also features a pair of returning specialists. Kicker Joshua Rowland (5-10, 190, So., Madison Central/Madison) made 16 of 19 field goals and all 44 point-afters. Punter Tyler Flathau (6-0, 190, So., Sacred Heart/Hattiesburg) had 13 kicks inside the 20 on the way to averaging 38.7 yards per punt.

"I think our kicker and punter are the two best in the country," Huff said. "Special teams are a third of the game, and we've got Josh, a second-team All-American, coming back, and Tyler, whose leg's just gotten stronger."

Gulf Coast, which is one of only two schools to have been ranked in the NJCAA Top 20 continuously for more than a decade, will known pretty quickly where they stand with a tough slate of opponents to open the season.

The Bulldogs play the first game at Itawamba, who they faced in the first round of the playoff last year. East Mississippi and Copiah-Lincoln, two top 10 teams, visit newly renovated A.L. May Memorial Stadium, before a road trip to East Central, another playoff team.

"The key to all this is the coaching staff," Huff said. "I think I have the best coaching staff in the country with the experience these kids need. I think it will give these kids the best opportunity to be successful."