THE BOARD: Jacksonville State Football

Latest: Paxton Ussery (DE, 6-5, 230, Vestavia Hills, Ala.) committed June 18 — an in-state defensive end with 13 offers. The 14th commit in the 2027 class.

The number

85 — That's Avier "Sauce" Jordan's 247Sports rating — a 4-star cornerback from Miami Central who committed June 14. Jacksonville State is four years into FBS football. Four-star prospects don't typically commit to programs that young. Jordan did.

The fit

The Florida pipeline defines this class. Six of the commits come from Florida, including the two highest-rated prospects — Avier Jordan (85 rating, Miami Central) and Jayden Jordan (81 rating, Eau Gallie). Frederick Jackson (Dunbar HS), Jaylen Jones (Wakulla HS), Kaden Bryant (Mandarin HS) and Isaiah Calixte (Coconut Creek HS) round out the Florida contingent.

The staff took two quarterbacks — JaMarkius Smith from Reeltown, Ala., and Will Jones from Maryville, Tenn. — which suggests the program is stocking the position for development rather than banking on one arm.

What stands out most is the ambition. The Gamecocks offered Kylen Johnson, a 2028 athlete from Plainview HS in Gadsden who scored 37 touchdowns as a sophomore and holds offers from Alabama, Florida State, Missouri, Miami and Georgia Tech. That's a swing at a Power 4-level recruit 90 minutes from campus.

The commits

Jeremy Ramsey — WR, 6-0, 190, Ravenwood HS, Brentwood, Tenn. Committed April 16. Earliest commit in the class.

Matthew McIntyre — TE, 6-4, 230, Mars Hill Bible, Florence, Ala. Committed May 19.

Jayden Jordan — DL, 6-4, 285, Eau Gallie HS, Melbourne, Fla. Committed May 20. 81 rating (247Sports).

Will Jones — QB, 6-2, 175, Maryville HS, Maryville, Tenn. Committed May 31.

Frederick Jackson — 5-10, 160, Dunbar HS, Fort Myers, Fla. Committed June 1.

Chozen Owens — DL, 6-2, 271, Brunswick HS, Brunswick, Ga. Committed June 7.

JaMarkius Smith — QB, 6-3, 170, Reeltown HS, Reeltown, Ala. Committed June 7. 3,700 passing yards and 40+ TDs over last two seasons. Also plays defense.

Jaylen Jones — S, 6-3, 185, Wakulla HS, Crawfordville, Fla. Committed June 7.

Avier "Sauce" Jordan — CB, 6-4.5, 168, Miami Central HS, Miami, Fla. Committed June 14. 4-star, 85 rating. Highest-rated commit in the class.

Kaden Bryant — LB, 6-3, 215, Mandarin HS, Jacksonville, Fla. Committed June 15.

Isaiah Calixte — ATH, 6-0, 170, Coconut Creek HS, Coconut Creek, Fla. Committed June 17. Plays WR/DB. Held offers from FAU, Akron, Charlotte. Visited Charlotte, was scheduled to visit UConn.

Cole Woodward — OL, 6-4, 290, Trinity Christian, Ga. Committed June 17. Also a heavyweight wrestler. 3.3 GPA. First offensive lineman in the class.

Chiaka Sanogo — DE, 6-7, 240, Putnam Science Academy, Conn. Committed June 16. The biggest player in the class at 6-7. Prep school prospect from Connecticut — the first commit from outside the Southeast.

Paxton Ussery — DE, 6-5, 230, Vestavia Hills HS, Vestavia Hills, Ala. Committed June 18. 13 offers. The first commit from the Birmingham metro area.

The visits

247Sports visit data for Jacksonville State's 2027 class has been limited in public tracking. The staff's Florida recruiting has been driven primarily through direct contact and social media rather than large-scale official visit weekends.

Lennox White — OLB, Tupelo, Miss. 2027. Visited Jax State. Holds 13 D-I offers including South Alabama, Troy, Cal, UNLV, Western Kentucky, Southern Miss, Texas State.

The targets

Kylen Johnson — WR/DB, 5-10, 175, Plainview HS, Gadsden, Ala. 2028. 37 TDs as a sophomore. Also holds offers from Alabama, Florida State, Missouri, Miami, Georgia Tech. Jax State's highest-profile target.

Jahlil Abdullah-Kortey — ATH/WR, 6-1, 196, Cass HS, Ga. 2028.

Caelon "Bug" Morris — DE/DT, 6-5, 250, Talladega HS. 2030. Earliest in-class offer tracked.

Additional 2027 offers: Ryan Harrigan (QB, 6-3, 190, Woodward Academy, Ga.), Ishmael "Trap" McNichols (ATH, 5-10, 175, Miami Norland), Kylyn Fletcher (LB, 6-3, 220, Roswell HS, Ga.), Brayden Stoker (WR, 6-3, 205, Ringgold HS, Ga.), Jarrett Friendly (WR/TE, 6-6, 195, Montgomery Academy, Ala.).

The class has defensive talent stacked deep — Avier Jordan, Jayden Jordan, Owens, Bryant, Sanogo and Ussery give the Gamecocks six defenders among the 14 commits. The defensive end haul alone (Sanogo at 6-7 and Ussery at 6-5) adds length and pass-rush upside. Smith and Jones give the staff two developmental quarterbacks, and Woodward anchors the offensive line. The secondary beyond Jordan remains the primary gap.

All commitments listed are non-binding verbal commitments. All commitments, offers and visits listed are based on publicly reported information and do not necessarily reflect a complete listing of activity. This board is updated regularly as new information becomes available.