JUCO commits surpass record numbers
For the first time since keeping the numbers over 10 years ago, the number of junior college players committed to NCAA D1 programs surpassed 500 on signing day. A total of 353 have already signed or given verbal commitments to FBS programs with eight weeks remaining in the signing period.
The numbers were high across the board, but no program emphasized the junior college ranks like UAB, who won’t even play a game for another 19 months. Following the program being shut down in December of 2014, the Blazers will be back in action in 2017 and are looking to the JUCO ranks. UAB has 33 commitments from the JUCO ranks in the Rivals.com database, many of which are expected to sign later. Among the commitments are East Mississippi running back D.J. Law, who is ranked the #10 running back in the nation by JCGridiron.com and a trio of quarterbacks led by Tyler JC quarterback Sederian Copeland.
| Top Conferences | Total Commitments | Top Emphasis | Top Program |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Conference USA |
71 |
Wide Receiver (12) |
UAB (33) |
|
Mountain West |
49 |
Offensive Tackle (9) |
Colorado State (9) |
|
Sun Belt |
48 |
Wide Receiver (11) |
South Alabama (9) |
|
Big 12 |
39 |
Offensive Tackle (8) |
West Virginia (7) |
UAB wasn’t the only program going heavy JUCO as a number had higher numbers than expected. Southeastern Louisiana led the FCS ranks with 14 commitments while the Big 12 continued the trend of leading the big conferences despite having less teams than most of the major power conferences.
The most recruited position was cornerback, as 67 athletes have given commitments. Wide receiver followed closely (67) with offensive tackle coming in third (55) and defensive tackle fourth (51).
With the aid of UAB, Conference USA topped the list of conference recruiting with 71 commitments. The Mountain West (49) and Sun Belt (48) ran neck-and-neck for second place. The least recruited conference was the ACC, with eight commitments.
A handful of positions were recruited more heavily than any on record. Center had 20 commitments, which is up from an average of about 15 per-season over the past five years. It was also a great year for quarterbacks with 32 commitments after averaging around 26 over the previous four years. 2016 proved to be a great year for kickers and punters (11), which was one off the all-time high of 12 for the class of 2007.
The largest number of commitments ever from the JUCO was last season when 555 athletes committed to FBS and FCS programs. However, on signing day the number was around 460 with another 95 committing before the summer months. The class of 2016 is expected to surpass the class of 2015 when all is said and done.