Jackson State University football coach TC Taylor loves his football team and his team. Especially after the white team defeated the blue team 23-9 on Saturday in the annual Blue-White Spring Game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
There are 95 players on campus and some recruits at the games, but Taylor hopes to sign 20 more players.
This time last year, he was busy building a team and replacing the 40 players who followed former coach Deion Sanders to Colorado or transferred to other schools.
Taylor likes three things this spring:
quarterback The position looks strong
Incumbent starting quarterback Jacobean Morgan completed 13 of 21 for 293 yards and two touchdown passes. Morgan did nothing to undermine his position.
Zai McDonald, who started for the Blue team, completed 10 of 22 for 130 yards. He can throw while running and looks like a change-of-pace player.
Freshman Ethan Terrell was 3-of-10 for 11 yards.
“If you think about a kid like Ethan, he should still be in high school right now. He was an early enrollee for us. He showed flashes the first week of spring ball.”
There is depth and talent at wide receiver.
Taylor was not happy with some dropped balls during the spring game. But he also saw what he liked.
Eric Simmons had two catches for 80 yards and one touchdown, and rookie Jameel Gardner had five catches for 81 yards and one touchdown. Other receivers also played well, including Joannes Fotilian (5 receptions, 58 yards), Kobe Paul (4 receptions, 78 yards), and 2023 top receiver Fabian McCray (2 receptions, 52 yards). I showed you.
Taylor praised Rico Powers, who had two receptions for 30 yards.
“It's just his approach every day,” Taylor said of Powers. “He comes to work with his lunch box every day and does that from the time he clocks in to the time he gets home. He really wants to be a pro and he has the tools to be a pro. He's big. He’s a fast, physical guy.”
1 year makes a difference
Taylor said being the head coach for a year will make things easier. He knows what new football coaches in the Southwestern Athletic Conference are going through.
“Look, we also have a top five sign language class,” Taylor said. “They (SWAC coaches) are like what I was last year. It's kind of an uphill battle, trying to build a roster and keep players there. So with so many players… With him back, I think we're in the position we need to be as a football team going forward.”
What I learned from the spring gameDefense dominates Jackson State University football blue and white spring game
JSU begins its 2024 schedule on Aug. 29 against UL Monroe on the road at 7 p.m. The Tigers' home opener is Sept. 7 against Lane, and their SWAC opener is Sept. 28 against Texas Southern.
