2024 MC Football Signing Day Takeaways
2024 MC Football Signing Day Takeaways
The new MC Football coaching staff gave insight into the recruiting class and what the team will look like next season.
The new Mississippi College coaching staff held a press conference for National Signing Day on Wednesday afternoon. This was the first press conference of its kind in several years at MC, with many attendees saying that this was their first time being invited to one.
In addition to discussing each of the 29 signees in the 2024 recruiting class, head coach Mike Kershaw and others shared several announcements. These included new uniform options for the upcoming season, the introduction of the Choctaw for Life Initiative, and the announcement that Mississippi College will host the 247Sports Mega Camp, an event that will bring over 1000 high school prospects to campus.
Despite his late start on the recruiting trail, Kershaw made a splash almost immediately by signing two Mississippi junior college players, Eli Anderson and Braydon Walker, the day after his hiring. Kershaw said that he believed Anderson, who played at EMCC and MGCCC, to be the best juco quarterback available this year. In total, Mississippi College has brought in 29 players, with 23 of them being from Mississippi.
One common theme throughout the press conference was bringing in people who knew how to win. Between coaches Williams and Paruta and the new recruits, Kershaw made it clear that he wants the team’s new additions to be proven winners. The team targeted successful programs like Oak Grove, Oxford, and MGCCC to bring in tried and true recruits.
The addition of this recruiting class bolsters the Choctaws’ Mississippi connection. It’s also making the team bigger and faster. A major transition is underway offensively, and size on the offensive line was one of the first needs the recruiting staff addressed.
At 315 pounds, Scott St. Aubin out of EMCC will certainly bring that; Brandon Autry and Beau Davis, at 280 and 285 respectively, will also contribute. Beyond the offensive line, 6’4 wide receivers Braydon Walker and 6’1 Christian Wortham will add an outside threat the team has lacked. The team also added deep threats in wide recievers Ramone Bradley and Sirr Trotter, who will be able to stretch the field.
Kershaw is not done with this class. He said at the conference that, while they were done “for today,” they were still looking to add talent to the team. Kershaw said that this class has already changed the talent profile of the team and provided a noticeable boost.
In addition, Choctaw football fans got their first chance to hear from new assistant coaches, as offensive coordinator (OC) Joel Williams and defensive coordinator Will Paruta spoke to the media for their first times as MC coaches.
Williams, a Mississippi College alumnus, talked about the changes Choctaw fans can expect to see in their offensive scheme, saying that they will play a very fast and pass-heavy version of the spread. “Hang loose, somebody is fixin' to score,” Williams said.
If his promises of touchdowns and passing weren’t endearing enough to Choctaw fans, his digs at Delta State certainly were. The former Okra OC mentioned that, according to film he had studied, the Okra were still running his system. Williams plans to add a couple of wrinkles to differentiate the Choctaws’ offense.
Paruta recently came to Clinton after working under Jeremy Chadwell at both Liberty University and Coastal Carolina University. He spoke about the things he looked for in defensive players, specifically saying he wanted guys whose high school coaches called them their best players. Paruta also dropped a hint about the identity of the Choctaw defense in 2024: Paruta’s moniker for the Choctaw defense is the “Gold Rush.” The name is similar to “Red Smoke,” the nickname his unit at Liberty went by. It calls to mind the staple “Braves” or “Warriors” defensive squads of past MC football teams.
“When we go out there in game one versus Shorter, Shorter is going to look at us and say, that’s not the same team we’ve played in years past,” Kershaw said. “And that’s going to be a good thing.”