The future is now – and later – for JC Smith football

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Johnson C. Smith returns seven opening-day starters from 2023’s 7-4 squad, including receiver Brevin Caldwell (Ardrey Kell High), who caught 51 passes for 579 yards.

It’s getting harder for a freshman to start at Johnson C. Smith.

Coach Maurice Flowers’ third Golden Bulls squad will be the most experienced yet as his initial signing class of 65 – 53 of them freshmen – are the core. As a result, younger players can be developed as backups or redshirts with a program that went from 2-7 in his first season to 7-4 last year.

“It would be very hard for a freshman to come in and start right now to because of the depth and the experience and that’s what we call the building of a program,” Flowers said, “and how we’re managing the roster.”

JCSU’s 2024 class includes 29 high school signees and 15 transfers, and per usual, the transfers are expected to compete for staring jobs when spring drills kick off on March 19. The best-known of the transfers – indeed the biggest signee in school history – is Harding High graduate Quavaris Crouch, a five-star recruit who led the Rams to the 2017 North Carolina 4A title. Crouch, who will transition to running back after playing linebacker at Tennessee and Michigan State, is already earning praise for his approach.

“I really thought it will take longer to start seeing some of the rust come off,” Flowers said, “but as I watch him each day, the rust is coming on by the day. He’s impressive … because he’s making us a better group right now.

“Our young men work hard and the last thing they want to do is have somebody come in and outwork them. The competition has already started with not just the running back position but within the team – with the offense, with the defense – and so … he just brings a lot.”

At 6-2, 230 pounds, Crouch has the physical attributes to force defenses account for him as a runner. It also opens opportunities to throw the ball.

“We want to throw the football, but you have to run to win,” Flowers said. What [Crouch] does is … help create some mismatch problems on the outside because you’re going to want to have extra people in the box to deal with him in the run game. And that’s going to create some one-on-one opportunities for our receiving corps.”

In addition to Crouch, JCSU looked to the portal for upgrades at the other skill positions.

A couple of Hough High graduates with FBS resumés, Kennique Bonner-Stewart and Darius Ocean, will compete for the starting quarterback job. Bonner-Stewart, who started his career at Temple and most recently was at Fayetteville State, will challenge Ocean, who played at Western Kentucky before transferring from Valdosta State.

The Golden Bulls also have holdovers with experience in sophomore Robert Adams, who went 4-3 as a starter and freshman Jamere Cherry (Mooresville High), who went 2-0.

“We felt like we had to get some older quarterback because one thing’s for sure there’s a difference in a veteran at the quarterback position than when you have some young guys that are experiencing some things for the first time,” Flowers said. “We’ve been through some growing pains and the best thing that can happen for our young quarterbacks is to learn from some older quarterbacks and we’re going to keep the teaching and learning environment. We’re doing that by bringing in some older quarterbacks.”

Smith also added experience at receiver with Deandre Proctor, who caught 31 passes for 402 yards and three touchdowns last year at St. Augustine’s as a replacement for Reggie Bryant, who led the Golden Bulls with five receiving touchdowns on 44 receptions. Bryant exhausted his eligibility.

“We didn’t really want to bring a lot of one-year guys in but because we lost Reggie Bryant, we saw a fit [in Proctor] that was a plug-and-play guy,” Flowers said. “We had to go get him and I tell you he’s been we’ve expected.”

The Golden Bulls return top wideout Brevin Caldwell, an Ardrey Kell graduate who caught 51 passes for 579 yards last year and Tyrek Williams, who scored three times among 16 receptions.

JCSU’s defense, which was statistically the best in Division II last year, returns nine starters. The two openings are in the secondary, where cornerback Jacobe Clement and nickel corner Dirk Cureton graduate.

TyQuereon Hines, a transfer from St. Augustine’s and Nasier Curry-Sudler (West Georgia) will vie for starting roles. Shamar Baker, a Mallard Creek High graduate and Charlotte transfer, will also get an opportunity.

“We did lose two key pieces, but we feel like we’re going through the spring and going to have great competition for the people that step on the field we get out there,” Flowers said.

Among the high school seniors to sign with JCSU, four are from Charlotte: Mountain Island Charter receiver Reggie Daniel; West Charlotte running back Scottie Cooper; Mallard Creek defensive back Cameron Rahman and Butler linebacker Tyquan Rankin. The Golden Bulls also stocked up on running backs with Trenton Lodge (Irmo, S.C.) High; Keyon Phillips (Concord), Cameron Lee (Laurel, Md.) Joshua Benjamin (Belle Glade, Fla.) and Bobby Smith (Boynton Beach, Fla.).

Johnson C. Smith football signees, with position, height and weight, high school and previous college or prep school:

Travija Austin (DB) 5-11, 165; Laurens High

Joshua Benjamin (RB) 5-9, 165; Eastside High (Fla.)

Daniel Caldwell (OL) 6-4, 250; South Pointe High (S.C.)

Tre’Shawn Clarke (FS) 6-3, 180; Strom Thurmond High (S.C.)

Scottie Cooper (RB) 5-8, 170; West Charlotte High

Reggie Daniel (WR) 6-3, 170; Mountain Island Charter

Tamai Daniels (WR) 5-8, 160; Blackville-Hilda High (S.C.)

Robert Early (OL) 6-3, 275; Jonesboro High (Ga.)

Jeremy Eatmon (OL) 6-2, 260; Wilson Hunt High

Jalen Ford (OL) 6-6, 330; Pleasantville High (N.J.)

Jamir Imuzai (RB) 5-11, 165; Meadowcreek High (Ga.)

Brian Lane Jr. (WR) 5-10, 160; Plantation High (Fla.)

Cameron Lee (RB) 5-7, 170; Laurel High (Md.)

Trenton Lodge (RB) 5-10, 170; Dutch Fork High (S.C.)

Fredrick Logan (WR) 5-11, 185; Fayetteville Pine Forest High

Dashawn Medley (WR) 5-10, 160; Hickory High

Isaiah Perry (WR) 5-8, 165; Mt. Zion Prep

Keyon Phillips (RB) 5-9, 165; Concord High

Christian Post (QB) 6-2, 180; Granby High (Va.)

Cameron Rahman (DB) 6-1, 180; Mallard Creek High

Tyquan Rankin (LB) 5-10, 215; Butler High

Clinton Riley (DB) 5-11, 170; Homestead High (Fla.)

Trey Rodriguez (OL) 6-2, 270; Indian Land High (S.C.)

Bobby Smith (RB) 5-10, 205 Boynton Beach High (Fla.)

Jamaris Stevens (LB) 6-2, 225; Strom Thurmond High (S.C.)

Joshua Townsend (QB) 6-0, 200; Homestead High (Fla.)

Thaddeus Tucker (OL) 6-2, 310; Wilson Hunt High

Fraquan Warren (WR) 5-10, 165; Homestead High (Fla.)

Jalen Wright (TE) 6-1, 215; Mooresville High

Shamar Baker (DB) 5-11, 195; Mallard Creek High/Charlotte

Kennique Bonner-Steward (QB) 6-4, 230; Hough High/Fayetteville State

Maliek Carter (TE) 6-2, 215; Orange Park High (Fla.)/Lake Erie College

Nasier Currie-Sudler (LB) 6-0, 185; Milton High (Ga.)/West Georgia

Quavaris Crouch (RB) 6-2, 230; Harding High/Michigan State

Anthony Dantzler (OL) 6-3, 315; Hudson Catholic High/Lackawanna College

Avante George (RB) 5-8, 180; Goldsboro High/St. Augustine’s

TyQuereon Hines (DB) 5-11, 175; Greenville Rose High/St. Augustine’s

Anthony Jamison (DE) 6-3, 240; Athens Drive High/St. Augustine’s

Marion Littlejohn (QB) 6-1, 180; Kings Mountain High/St. Augustine’s

Jamari Mason (OL) 6-1, 325; Carrollton High (Ga.)/Myrtle Beach Prep

Darius Ocean (QB) 6-0, 200; Hough High/Valdosta State

Omari Orgertrice (LB) 6-1, 225; Mooresville High/Charlotte

Deandre Proctor (WR) 6-0, 185; Northeastern High/St. Augustine’s

Elijah Wilson (DB) 6-3, 210; Mooresville High/Shaw

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