Johnson C. Smith football focuses on tracking late recruits

Johnson C. Smith is looking for overlooked football talent.

Golden Bulls coach Kermit Blount has turned his attention to signing players who’ve earned late academic eligibility beyond the early signing period. Good players – especially those with Division I talent – are still available.

“There are a whole lot of different kinds of kids in the mix,” Blount said. “This is a good time for Division II because the kids that are becoming eligible, the likelihood of them getting a Division I offer is going to be slim to none, so we’ll be right there to swoop in and try to bring them into our fold.”

Because most athletes aspire for Division I offers, Division II programs take a backseat in the recruiting process. However, smaller programs can leverage themselves as a viable option to players who’ve fallen by the wayside, especially by offering a competitive scholarship package. Blount is looking to snatch a few for JCSU, especially in the Charlotte region, North Carolina’s mother lode for high school talent.

“You never stop recruiting in the profession we’re in,” Blount said. “That’s always going to take place. There’s a signing period and there’s a non-signing period. We’ve been through the signing period, now it’s just a matter of us adding a few more kids to our roster and hopefully go with a bunch of local kids because that’s where our focus has to be right now.”

The Golden Bulls signed a pair of Charlotte athletes among their first 10 commitments in Victory Christian quarterback Jordan Lane, who led the Kings to a pair of N.C. independent school Division II titles and Olympic High linebacker Kelvin Telchie. Blount said another list of signees will be released later this week.

Athletes aren’t JCSU’s sole focus. Blount is in the process of remaking his staff, which consists of holdovers from former coach Steve Aycock’s tenure. Blount declined to divulge details of how many assistants would be hired or the positions involved, but indicated there’ll be multiple changes.

Absolutely, yeah,” he said. “We will make a few. Hopefully by Thursday or Friday I can give you some legitimate answers on that.”

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