2/19/2024 football Edit

Where they come from? Where they headed?

Brad Hoiseth • JCGridiron

Publisher

The February signing day has come and gone, so now it is time to assess what happened in the world of JUCO football recruiting for the class of 2024. People have questions they need answered.

Where did all the players come from and where are they going? In our first of two installments, we tell you where the players came from.

The class of 2024 looks like an ordinary class. The total signings are around 425, which is a normal number the week after signing day. The numbers will grow to 500 or higher in the coming months as programs at the D1 level assess their needs with spring football, and kids at the JUCO level finish up their classwork.

Congratulations goes out to Hutchinson College, who has 23 players signed on the dotted line to D1 football programs. The Blue Dragons spent most of the season as the top-rated program in the country before East Mississippi derailed their plans in the NJCAA semifinals. Hutchinson was easily the top program at getting players out to D1 schools. They joined a Jayhawk Conference that averaged over 10 signings-per-school to lead the JUCO ranks.

Jayhawk Signings (76)

Rank	School	Number
1	Hutchinson	23
2	Butler	16
3	Coffeyville	13
4	Garden City	11
T5	Dodge City	5
T5	Independence	5
7	Highland	3

The largest volume of players came from the Mississippi ranks, which had 118 signings for the 14 programs. Gulf Coast led the way with 18 signings but was followed closely by Copiah-Lincoln (17) and East Mississippi (15).

Mississippi Signings (118)

Rank	School	Number
1	Gulf Coast	18
2	Copiah-Lincoln	17
3	East Mississippi	15
T4	Northwest	12
T4	Southwest	12
6	Jones	10
T7	Northeast	8
T7	Holmes	8
T9	Hinds	5
T9	East Central	5
11	Itawamba	4
12	Coahoma	2
T13	Pearl River	1
T13	Delta	1

California has the most schools in the country at 68, so it is no surprise that the Golden State had another big number with 112 total signings. With a tiered system, California is the prime example of the haves and have nots. The lion's share of the D1 commitments came from the upper-tier programs, with College of San Mateo (10) leading the way.

California Signings (112) Top-10

Rank	School	Number
1	San Mateo	10
T2	Golden West	7
T2	Saddleback	7
T2	Mt. San Antonio	7
T2	San Francisco	7
T6	Canyons	6
T6	Riverside City	6
T8	Fullerton	5
T8	American River	5
10	Fresno City	4

The Southwest Junior College Football Conference had a very solid campaign as the SWJCFC produced 65 signings amongst its eight programs. Trinity Valley had a massive class, getting 17 guys out the door to D1 programs to lead the way.

SWJCFC Signings (65)

Rank	School	Number
1	Trinity Valley	17
2	Kilgore	10
3	Blinn	9
T4	Navarro	8
T4	Tyler	8
6	Northeastern Oklahoma A&M	6
7	New Mexico Military	4
8	Cisco	3

The Iowa Conference has just three programs and the top two programs battled for supremacy in Iowa Western (12) and Iowa Central (10). Snow College led the way for independent and Northeast programs with nine signings to D1 programs.

Iowa Signings (22)

Rank	School	Number
1	Iowa Western	12
2	Iowa Central	10

Independent/Northeast Signings (29)

Rank	School	Number
1	Snow	9
T2	Lackawanna	6
T2	Georgia Military	6
4	Monroe	4
T5	Louisburg	2
T5	DuPage	2

With 23 signings, Hutchinson has a comfortable lead as we hit the midway point of February. The fight for second place looks like a close battle. The California programs are always a late arrival, as the Golden State is likely to provide the most late signings.

Top JUCO Signings (Top-25)

Rank	School	Number
1	Hutchinson	23
2	Gulf Coast	18
T3	Trinity Valley	17
T3	Copiah-Lincoln	17
5	Butler	16
6	East Mississippi	15
7	Coffeyville	13
T8	Northwest Mississippi	12
T8	Southwest Mississippi	12
T8	Iowa Western	12
11	Garden City	11
T12	San Mateo	10
T12	Iowa Central	10
T12	Jones	10
T12	Kilgore	10
T16	Blinn	9
T16	Snow	9
T18	Northeast Mississippi	8
T18	Holmes	8
T18	Navarro	8
T18	Tyler	8
T22	Golden West	7
T22	Saddleback	7
T22	Mt. San Antonio	7
T22	San Francisco	7