Golden Bulls 2026 recruit class leans into development

HOGGARD HIGH SCHOOL

Ja'Quay Locke, who tallied 59 tackles, caused four fumbles and intercepted two passes as a senior at Hoggard High in Wilmington, is one of eight defensive backs to sign with Johnson C. Smith.

Johnson C. Smith  football is still committed to development.

Of the 34 players in the Golden Bulls’ 2026 signing class, 24 are high school seniors, including 14 on defense. Eight are defensive backs. Under coach Maurice Flowers, JCSU has emphasized recruiting high school talent for the long term and experienced transfers when necessary.

“In being good recruiters, you have to trust your recruiting and also your development of athletes,” Flowers said. “We believe that we can develop student athletes really good, and the ones that we recruit believe in us and we believe in the system. This is the opportunity for us to show that we believe in them and just don’t go to the transfer portal for every position.”

Among next year’s freshmen, four are receivers, paced by Jhalen Pharr-McNair, who caught 45 passes for 560 yards and nine touchdowns at Tarboro High and Tyree Johnson, who caught 26 passes for 494 yards and four touchdowns at Brookland-Cayce High (S.C.) last year.

As JCSU has done since Flowers’ arrival, the Golden Bulls recruited the Carolinas heavily, adding 15 players from the region to the freshman class, including Charlotteans Kenyan Stewart, a Butler High defensive end who tallied 58 tackles and six sacks as a senior, and Power Mba, a 6-5, 320-pound defensive tackle who played at Ambassador Christian. Among the 10 transfers, seven are North Carolinians.

Among the more notable high school signees:

• Ja’Quay Locke, a defensive back from Hoggard High in Wilmington who tallied 59 tackles, forced four fumbles and snagged a pair of interceptions as a senior.

• Alexis Rosario-Beltran, a Concord High kicker and punter who connected on 25-of-28 extra points and 12-of-20 field goals with a long of 52 yards in 2025.  He also averaged 39.8 yards per punt with a long of 64.

• Keivious Bridgers, a Tarboro High defensive back, racked up 84 tackles (seven for loss) last year.

Among the transfers, the biggest signings are skill position players in quarterback Joshua Jackson, receiver JaQuan Albright and running back Fabian Duncan, all of whom are expected to start or make significant contributions. 

Albright caught 64 passes for 895 yards and five touchdowns in 2025 as a redshirt junior at UNC Pembroke. His reception total equaled the combined output of top returning receivers Brian Lane (46 catches, 676 yards and 5 TDs) and Reggie Daniel (18, 345 yards, 6 TDs).

Jackson, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound former Tennessee Mr. Football who spent two years at FCS program Central Connecticut State, where he played sparingly.

Duncan, a North Mecklenburg High graduate who was SIAC most valuable player at Allen University after rushing for 1,301 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. Duncan will compete for carries along with All-CIAA Bobby Smith (1,030 yards, 9 TDs) and Kamarro Edmonds, who missed the last eight games in 2025 due to a leg injury.

With spring drills kicking off next month, the transfers have an opportunity to get up to speed with returning players. Even after winning the CIAA title and the school’s first Division II playoff berth last year, the goals remain constant. 

“It’s going to be spring ball as usual, because there’s not anything that we’re going to do differently this spring that we haven’t done the previous springs,” Flowers said. “That’s really just learning to be the best type of football player we can be as an individual and as a team and just put winning habits together.”

Johnson C. Smith 2026 football signees, hometown and high school/previous college:

Defensive back

Andre Davis Jr., Vanceboro, N.C. (West Craven High); Keivious Bridgers, Tarboro, N.C. (Tarboro High); Ja’Quay Locke, Wilmington (Hoggard High); Jacobie Smith, Duncan, N.C. (Mountain View Prep); Kenneth Faison, Greensboro (Ben L. Smith High); Chris Briggs, Greenville, S.C. (Hillcrest High); Gaven Kraut, Fayetteville (Terry Sanford High); Mekhi Armour, Newark, N.J. (Weequahic High); Zahky Mitchell, Winston-Salem (Virginia Wise); Marque Vereen, Tampa, Fla. (West Florida); Rossie Graves, Stockbridge, Ga. (Eastern Kentucky); Isaiah Pelham, Vanceboro, N.C. (Chowan)

Defensive line

Anthony Binyard, Winston-Salem (Fayetteville State); Power Mba, Charlotte (Ambassador Christian); Anquavion Darden, Rocky Mount (Southwest Edgecomb High); Kenyan Stewart, Charlotte (Butler High); Braylen Daniels, Statesville (Statesville High); Jason Romero, Laurinburg, N.C. (East Carolina)

Linebacker

Aujshawn Izzard, Savannah, Ga. (Jenkins High); Joseph Sutton, Savannah, Ga. (Benedictine Military)

Offensive line

Justin Smith, Concord (Jay M. Robinson High); Aaron Dixon, Jonesboro, Ga. (Jonesboro High); Devin Harris, Fairburn, Ga. (Creekside High); Kenneth Roby, Loganville, Ga. (Grayson High)

Receivers

JaQuan Albright, Winston-Salem (UNC Pembroke); Chris Tillman, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Dillard High); Trevon Moore, Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Bay Tech); Jhalen Pharr-McNair, Tarboro, N.C. (Tarboro High); Tyree Johnson, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Brookland-Cayce High)

Quarterback

Joshua Jackson, Chattanooga, Tenn. (Central Connecticut State); Somai Cabell, Greenville, N.C. (D.H. Conley High)

Running back 

Fabian Duncan, Charlotte (Allen University)

Kicker/punter

Alexis Rosario-Beltran, Concord (Concord High); Christopher Meija, Clayton, N.C. (UNC Pembroke)

Comments