THE BOARD: Jacksonville State Football

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. Five of 11 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) and Isaiah Calixte (Coconut Creek HS) round out the Florida contingent.

Brayden Stoker (WR, Heritage HS, Ga.) carries the class's highest 247 rating at 86 — one point above Avier Jordan. Stoker held offers from Ole Miss, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Purdue. That's a Power 4-caliber receiver who chose Jacksonville State.

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.

Brayden Stoker — WR, 6-1, 185, Heritage HS, Catoosa, Ga. 247 rating: 86. Profile grade: 66.12. Offers: 18 including Ole Miss, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Purdue. Highest-rated commit in the class by 247 composite. Transferred from Gordon Lee HS.

Rome Freeman — LB, 6-1, 220, Tampa Bay Tech, Fla. Profile grade: 57.98. Offers: 12.

Jonathan Roberto — LB, 6-1, 205, Spain Park HS, Ala. Profile grade: 51.67. Offers: 8.

Johnson Anderson — DE, 6-5, 240, Pike County HS, Ga. Profile grade: 49.38. Offers: 12.

Isaiah Brown — LB, 6-0, 225, Clay-Chalkville HS, Ala. Profile grade: 46.55. Offers: 16.

Jude Wright — IOL, 6-2, 275, Gardendale HS, Ala. Profile grade: 37.53. Offers: 6.

Elijah Malone — CB, 5-10, 165, Gulf Shores HS, Ala. Profile grade: 37.40. Offers: 11.

Paxton Ussery — DE, 6-5, 230, Vestavia Hills HS, Ala. Profile grade: 36.39. Offers: 13.

Cole Woodward — IOL, 6-4, 290, Trinity Christian HS, Ga. Profile grade: 31.26.

Mylo-Elijah Tshinkola — DT, 6-4, 300, Coral Gables HS, Fla. Profile grade: 30.74. Offers: 7.

Malik Laurent — DT, 6-4, 270, Miramar HS, Fla. Profile grade: 30.73. Offers: 4.

Chiaka Sanogo — DE, 6-7, 240, Putnam Science Academy, Conn. Profile grade: 30.37. Offers: 3.

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.

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), Cole Woodward (OL, 6-4, 290, Trinity Christian, Ga.), 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 (Avier Jordan, Jayden Jordan, Owens, Bryant) and dual-threat quarterbacking (Smith). Jude Wright (Gardendale) and Cole Woodward (Trinity Christian, Ga.) addressed the offensive line gap. The second wave added depth at linebacker (Freeman, Roberto, Brown) and on the defensive front (Anderson, Ussery, Tshinkola, Laurent, Sanogo).