JACKSONVILLE--Jax State football started its recruiting class of 2026 by signing 25 players when the early signing period opened on Wednesday. The group is made up of 10 players from Alabama, eight from Florida, and five from Georgia with 22 coming from within a five-and-a-half hour radius.

"Our staff did an unbelievable job," said coach Charles Kelly. "I told them that it takes a village to raise a child and recruit one. There's a lot of things that go into recruiting these young men."

"We felt like there were three things we needed to focus on--size, length, and speed," said Kelly. "We got some very productive players, but one of things I'm most proud of is they all come from winning programs."

Jax State Class of 2026 Early Signees
Javan Allison
Defensive Back | Miami, Fla. | Miami Norland HS
Finished his senior season with 56 total tackles, including 51 solo tackles, also adding an interception in nine games. Helped lead Norland to the 2025 4A FHSAA Regional Semifinals as a senior. Had two interceptions as a junior, helping the Vikings to a 9-3 record and a playoff appearance. A three-star defensive back according to 247Sports, Allison chose Jax State over Southern Miss, Georgia State, Illinois, James Madison and others.
 
Mario Alloway
Linebacker | Fort Walton Beach, Fla. | Choctawhatchee HS
Is tied for the team lead in sacks as a senior with 11, also adding on 15 total tackles and 16 tackles for a loss. Has two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and eight quarterback hurries as well during his senior campaign. Has helped Choctawhatchee to a 12-1 record and a FHSAA 4A State Semifinal appearance. Alloway is a linebacker from Choctawhatchee High School in Florida. Also lettered in track & field in high school.
 
Tim Anthony
Defensive Back | Decatur, Ga. | Shiloh HS
Anthony helped lead Shiloh High School to the Class 5A GHSAA State playoffs during his senior campaign, in which he had 52 tackles and four tackles for a loss from the secondary. Anthony also managed one interception, one fumble recovery and three blocked field goals as a senior for the Generals. As a junior, Anthony earned All County and All Region honors, allowing just one reception on 11 targets.
 
Kendarius Blair
Offensive Lineman | Birmingham, Ala. | Parker HS
Helped lead the Parker Thundering Herd to a 14-1 record and a 6A AHSAA state championship as a junior. With Blair on the offensive line, Parker averaged 34.7 points per game , rushing for 4,113 yards and throwing for 2,158 yards in 15 games in 2024. Helped the Thundering Herd to a 6A playoff appearance in 2025, before falling in the second round. A three-star interior lineman according to 247Sports, chose Jax State over Arkansas State, South Alabama, FIU, Memphis and others.
 
Austin Bouck
Linebacker | Destin, Fla. | Fort Walton Beach HS
At Fort Walton Beach High School as a senior, Bouck managed 58 solo tackles, 24 tackles for a loss, eight sacks, two pass breakups and a fumble. As a junior in 2024, Bouck netted 21 tackles for a loss to go alongside a team-high four sacks. A three-star edge rusher according to 247Sports, Bouck chose Jax State over Navy, Army, Samford and others.  
 
Will Cooper
Offensive Lineman | Fairhope, Ala. | Fairhope HS
Helped lead Fairhope High School to an 8-4 record and an appearance in the 2025 7A AHSAA Quarterfinal round. Helped the Pirates and head coach Tim Carter to average 28.8 points per game across 12 games. A three-star lineman according to 247Sports, chose Jax State over Arkansas State, Louisiana, Air Force and others.
 
Brennan Core
Athlete | Phenix City, Ala. | Central Phenix City
Led the Central-Phenix City Red Devils to the 2025 AHSAA 7A Semifinals before falling one game shy of the state title game. Core was second on the team with 56 tackles, also making 6.5 tackles for a loss and intercepting two passes as a senior. Was a part of the 2024 Central-Phenix City team that made the 7A State Championship game. Core led the team as a junior with 108 tackles and eight tackles for a loss. Following his junior campaign, Core was named 7A ASWA All-State Honorable Mention.
 
Kyten Davis
Defensive Lineman | Lake City, Fla. | Columbia HS
Davis helped lead Columbia High School to the 4A FHSAA Regional Semifinals with a 9-3 record. During his senior season, he finished with 53 total tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and six sacks. Davis also lettered in basketball at Columbia High School. Davis chose Jax State over Troy, FAU, Delaware, UConn and others. 
 
Immuri "Vern" Faulk
Offensive Lineman | Perry, Fla. | Taylor County HS
Helped lead Taylor County High School to a 10-2 record durnig his senior season, including a playoff appearance in the FHSAA Rural State Championship Regional Finals. Served as a part of an offensive line that helped the Bulldogs average 368 yards of offense and 33 points per game. Earned FACA First Team All-Senior honors. A three-star prospect according to 247Sports, chose Jax State over NC State, Bowling Green and others. 
 
Cade Frier
Wide Receiver | Tallahassee, Fla. | Chiles HS
Finished his senior season with 1,023 receiving yards on 70 receptions in 13 games. Wrapped up his high school career with 16 touchdowns and nearly 1,500 yards. Helped Chiles High School to an 8-5 record and a playoff appearance in 2025. Also returned kicks and punts for the Timberwolves. A three-star prospect according to 247Sports, chose Jax State over Georgia Tech, Florida State and others.
 
Shondell Harris
Defensive Back | Mobile, Ala. | Mary G. Montgomery
Led Mary G. Montgomery High School to a 7A AHSAA playoff appearance and a first round win before falling in the quartefinals in 2025. Finished his senior season with 45 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, two blocked punts and a blocked field goal. Named to the 2025 AHSAA North-South All-Star Classic roster. Earned 7A ASWA First Team All-State honors as a junior last season. A three-star prospect according to 247Sports, chose Jax State over Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Liberty, South Florida and others. 
 
William Hathcock
Offensive Lineman | Perry, Fla. | Taylor County HS
As a senior, he helped lead Taylor County High School to a 10-2 record, including a playoff bid in the FHSAA Rural State Championship Regional Finals. Served as a part of an offensive line that helped the Bulldogs average 368 yards of offense and 33 points per game. Named FACA First Team All-District following his senior season. A three-star prospect according to 247Sports, chose Jax State over NC State, Bowling Green, Mercer and others. 
 
Malik Henderson
Wide Receiver | Graceville, Fla. | Chipley HS
Across three seasons at Chipley High School, averaged over 16 yards per catch, tallying 34 receptions, 558 yards and eight touchdowns. Also rushed for 448 yards and seven touchdowns across his final two seasons with the Tigers. Helped lead the Tigers to a 9-2 record, including a 4-1 record in district play as a senior. 
 
Rodarion Jones
Defensive Back | Albany, Ga. | North Florida Christian
Three-star prospect according to On3. Also held offers from Miami, Florida, and Oklahoma. Made 31 tackles with five pass breakups at North Florida Christian this season. Also added 277 rushing yards and 427 receiving yards. Had 37 tackles with 18 pass breakups and three interceptions at Carol City High School in Miami as a junior.
 
Cedric Kouemi
Running Back | Gaithersburg, Md. | The Bullis School
Rushed for over 1,300 yards as a junior in high school at Quince Orchard High School. A three-star prospect according to 247Sports, chose Jax State over James Madison, Memphis, Tulane and others. 
 
Noah Lee
Quarterback | Jacksonville, Ala. | Jacksonville Christian Academy
Three-star prospect according to 247sports and On3...Passed for over 3,000 yards and 45 touchdowns as a junior...His 137 career touchdown passes is second all-time in state history...Three-sport athlete at JCA, hauling in 1,000 career rebounds...Also held offers from Arkansas State, East Carolina, South Alabama, Southern Miss and Marshall
 
Tristan Lyles
Linebacker | Phenix City, Ala. | Central-Phenix City
Finished his senior season with an 11-2 record and a region championship at Central in Phenix City, including two playoff victories in Alabama's 7A bracket and a 42-6 victory over 7A finalist Opelika in the regular season. Finished the season with 84 tackles, 69 of which were solo tackles, and 32 tackles for loss. Also had 20 sacks, 13 hurries and five forced fumbles. Flipped to Jax State after committing to Appalachian State earlier in the year. Had 25 offers, including offers from Auburn, Arkansas, Kentucky, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Troy, Liberty, Memphis, and more. Rated as a three-star edge rusher on 247Sports and top-60 in the state of Alabama.
 
Brayden Matthews
Linebacker | Smyrna, Ga. | McEachern HS
Finished his senior season with a 10-1 record at McEachern High School in McEachern, Ga., earning the 6A Region 3 championship with a 7-0 region record. Named First Team All-Region.
 
Jameson McCullough
Linebacker | Powder Springs, Ga. | Hillgrove HS
Finished his senior season at Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, Ga., with a 9-3 record and a playoff victory over North Paulding in the GHSAA 6A playoffs. Finished the season with 66 total tackles, 40 solo and 26 assisted, as well as 21 tackles for loss. Also posted six sacks and caused one fumble, collecting two interceptions on the year. McCollugh committed to Jax State after receiving several Division I offers, including offers from Appalachian State, James Madison, Liberty, Memphis, South Florida, and Troy.
 
Donovan Moorhead
Quarterback | Akron, Ohio | Hawken School
Finished 8-3 (4-1 in region play) with Hawken, earning a first round bye in the Ohio state playoffs. Tallied 3,004 yards during his senior season, with 37 touchdowns and a .697 completion percentage. He ranks in the top-15 in Ohio in passing yards and is top-five in touchdown passes in the state. Three-star QB per 247Sports and son of Akron head coach Joe Moorhead. Has 12 total Division I offers, committing to Jax State over Akron, Buffalo, Marshall, UNLV, and more.
 
Devin Pettway
Linebacker | Mobile, Ala. | Mary G. Montgomery HS
Went 10-2 with Mary G. Montgomery during his final season of high school football, including a 6-1 mark in 7A Region 1 play and a perfect 5-0 road record. Advanced to the quarterfinals with a 45-7 victory over Austin in the 7A bracket. Put up 43 total tackles in 2025 with 25 solo and 18 assisted tackles, averaging 3.9 tackles per game. Also registered 5.0 tackles for loss this year. Tallied three passes defended and one fumble recovery. A three-star linebacker per 247Sports, Pettway had 16 total Division I offers, committing to the Gamecocks over Tulane, Liberty, Louisiana-Lafayette, and several other G6 programs. 
 
Rollie Pinto
Wide Receiver | Piedmont, Ala. | Piedmont HS
Finished his senior season at Piedmont with a thousand yard receiving season, catching 59 passes for 1,007 yards and 17 touchdowns. Rushed for an additional 398 yards with seven touchdowns, as well as putting up 288 kick return yards and 205 punt return yards for a total of 1,898 all-purpose yards in his final year in Piedmont. A three-star athlete per 247Sports, Pinto chose Jax State over Kennesaw State, Navy, UAB, Samford, North Alabama, Murray State, and West Alabama.
 
Tre'Von Pringle
Defensive Back | Thomasville, Ga. | Thomas County Central HS
Still in the midst of the GHSAA 5A playoffs with undefeated and second-ranked Thomas County Central, most recently defeating Woodward Academy by a score of 49-19. Plays outside linebacker, where he had registered 15 total tackles so far this season, along with 3.5 tackles for loss. A three-star athlete per 247Sports, Pringle earned 17 Division I offers, comitting to the Gamecocks over Power 4 UCF, CUSA rivals Liberty and Delaware, and Group of 6 peers such as Appalachian State, South Florida, and East Carolina.
 
Ty Sims
Defensive Back | Gadsden, Ala. | Gadsden City HS
Finished his senior year at Gadsden City High School with 174 rushing yards and seven total tackles, playing running back and defensive back for the Titans. Also played special teams, where he recorded a blocked field goal against Jasper on November 7. Finished 2025 with five total touchdowns. Against Fultondale, he had three touchdowns, one on the ground and two through the air, in a 42-0 win. GCHS finished with a record of 8-4 and a playoff win over Jasper. Had 11 total Division I offers.
 
Andrevius Smith
Tight End | Midland City, Ala. | Dale County HS
Finished his high school career at Dale County High School with 2,402 total yards, which included 1,071 yards during his junior season. That year, he had 932 receiving yards, averaging 84.7 yards per game and 14 touchdowns. Helped lead the Warriors to the AHSAA 4A playoffs with a record of 7-3, winning Region 2 with a 6-1 region record. A three-star athlete per 247Sports, Smith chose Jax State over Liberty, North Alabama, Mercer, and Florida A&M.