Twenty-eight players from nine schools comprise this year’s Premier Preps of East Mississippi football team. Through the different seasons, coaches nominate players from their teams, and the Star’s sports staff selects from the pool of nominees which players will make the squads. 

Football is a numbers’ game, so below we take a look at some that defined this year’s selections.

7: Players on this year’s team who appeared on the inaugural Premier Preps of East Mississippi team 

2017 Premier Preps selections Cole Freeman (West Lauderdale), Chris Griffin (Philadelphia), Eli Stringfellow (Meridian), J.T. McClelland (Lamar), Dominic Eiland (Philadelphia), Trajan Tanksley (Kemper County) and Nick Grady (West Lauderdale) each appeared either as a first- or second- teamer in last year’s Premier Preps group. Twenty-one players garnered selections for the first time this year. 

71: Wins accumulated by the nine schools represented

Lamar School, Philadelphia and Russell Christian each accumulated 12-win seasons, with Lamar and Russell Christian winning their respective state crowns. Philadelphia, Meridian, Newton, West Lauderdale, Northeast Lauderdale and Kemper County all appeared in the postseason.

1,405: Combined pounds of offensive linemen

The five young men — Drex Gladney (Philadelphia), Dominic Eiland (Philadelphia), Terrance Donald (Meridian), Stephen Cole (Kemper County) and Cole Freeman (West Lauderdale) — who make up this year’s Premier Preps offensive line unit weigh a combined 1,405 pounds. At 6-foot-2, 320 pounds, Eiland is the heavyweight of the group. 

10: Number of sophomores and juniors 

Nine juniors and one sophomore were selected, which should make their coaches excited for the future, and opposing coaches nervous. 

8: Kick return touchdowns by Wood 

Russell Christian’s Taylor Wood was dynamic whenever he touched the football this season. The speedy return man scored eight touchdowns on kick and punt returns for the Warriors.

17: Interceptions by defensive backs 

West Lauderdale’s Grady hauled in a group-leading five interceptions, while Stringfellow (Meridian), Johnson (Newton) and Randolph (Northeast Lauderdale) pulled in four apiece. Stringfellow’s four interceptions also included two that were returned for TDs. 

3,785: Rushing yards totaled by selections Cortney Smith and J.T. McClelland 

Philadelphia’s Smith’s 2,043 rushing yards are a Premier Preps best, and he did so behind 254 carries, which equal a gaudy 8.04 yards per carry. Smith also scored 27 rushing touchdowns. Lamar’s McClelland ended the season with 1,742 yards and 27 ground scores. 

8,440: Yards tallied by all-purpose selections Tevarrius Adams, Tre Hillie and Kam Hulin

Meridian’s Adams passed for 2,381 yards and rushed for 908 yards; Newton’s Hillie passed for 1,988 yards and rushed for 618 yards; and Northeast Lauderdale’s Hulin passed for 797 yards and rushed for 1,748 yards. Adams tallied 33 total touchdowns, Hillie accounted for 27 touchdowns, and Hulin totaled 32 touchdowns.

69.5: Sacks tallied by defensive line selections 

Opposing quarterbacks had their hands full in dealing with the talented group of defensive players who made this year’s team. Look no further than the group’s combined 69.5 sacks as evidence. Meridian defensive lineman Jamond Gordon led the way with an eye-popping 17.5 sacks this season.

OFFENSE

Joseph Hutchinson 

Quarterback

Junior

Lamar School

Why he’s here: Hutchinson, an MAIS All-Star selection, threw for 3,088 yards and 23 touchdowns while connecting on 215 of 314 passes. He also had 198 yards and two touchdowns on 51 rushes. Hutchinson helped his team to a second-consecutive MAIS Class AAAA, Division II title.  Hutchinson will participate in the U.S. Army All-American Combine in January.

Cortney Smith 

Running back

Senior

Philadelphia

Why he’s here: Smith rushed for 2,043 yards and 27 touchdowns on 254 carries — good for 8.04 yards per average — to help Philadelphia to a 12-2 record and a berth in the third round of the MHSAA Class 2A postseason. Smith led the Tornadoes’ rushing attack that ran for 3,946 yards (281.9 yards a game) last year.  His 2,043 yards was seventh in the state this year.

JT McClelland 

Running back

Senior

Lamar School

Why he’s here: McClelland rushed 203 times for 1,742 yards and 27 touchdowns to help the Raiders win their second-straight MAIS Class AAAA, Division II state championship. He also had 14 catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, McClelland accounted for 24 tackles and one interception return for a touchdown.

Kam Hulin 

All-purpose back

Junior

Northeast Lauderdale

Why here’s here: Hulin had 1,748 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns on 239 attempts while also completing 51 of 95 passes for 797 yards and seven touchdowns. He was named the Offensive Player of the Year in Region 5-4A and second-team All-State in 4A. The Trojans had 3,620 yards of total offense this season as Hulin accounted for 70 percent of NE’s offense.

Tre Hillie 

All-purpose back

Junior

Newton

Why he’s here: Hillie was a dynamic player for the Tigers who accounted for 2,606 yards of total offense. He went 120-for-203 in passing for 1,988 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing 124 times for 618 yards and five touchdowns.He is also cousins with Premier Preps wide receiver Javarious Moore.

Tevarrius Adams 

All-purpose back

Junior

Meridian

Why he’s here: Adams completed 158 of 292 passes for 2,381 yards and 22 touchdowns to lead Meridian at the quarterback position, and he also had 182 rushes for 908 yards (4.99-yard average) and 10 touchdowns to help Meridian to the state semifinal round of the Class 6A postseason. He also had three catches for 15 yards and a touchdown.

Javarious Moore 

Wide receiver 

Senior

Newton

Why he’s here: A National Honor Society member, Moore tallied 1,027 yards and 17 touchdowns on just 40 catches to lead Newton this season in receptions, despite being hurt for the second half of the season. He was named a Super 22 wide receiver for District 4-2A. He also punted for the Tigers, who made the 2A playoffs for the second straight year.

Parker Neal 

Wide receiver

Senior

Lamar School

Why he’s here: Despite missing five games with a broken collarbone, Neal had a very productive year for the Raiders’ state championship team. He finished with 853 yards on 43 receptions and 10 receiving TDS. He also rushed 22 times for 92 yards and four touchdowns. Neal accounted for all four offensive touchdowns in the Raiders’ state title game against Simpson Academy.

Cole Freeman 

Offensive line

Senior

West Lauderdale

Why he’s here: An anchor for the West Lauderdale offensive line, Freeman finished with 82 pancakes and an 80-percent yearly grading average. He was selected as Region 5-4A’s Most Valuable Offensive Lineman. Freeman makes the Premier Preps team for the second year in a row.

Drex Gladney 

Offensive line

Senior

Philadelphia

Why he’s here: Gladney, together with teammate Dominic Eiland, helped form a formidable duo on the Philadelphia offensive line. Gladney had an 84-percent grade on the season and finished with 21 pancakes for the Tornadoes. The Tornadoes finished the season with a 12-2 record with 5,558 yards of total offense.

Dominic Eiland 

Offensive line

Senior

Philadelphia

Why he’s here: Eiland was a major force on a dominant Philadelphia offensive line. He finished with an 85-percent grade and tallied 25 pancakes on the season. The Tornadoes rushed for 3,946 yards this season, averaging 281.9 yards a game with 52 rushing touchdowns on the season.

Terrance Donald 

Offensive line

Senior

Meridian

Why he’s here: Donald was a standout on the Wildcats’ offensive line who started 14 games for Meridian. He finished with 25 knockdowns and 12 cuts. The Wildcats had 5,538 yards of total offense this year, averaging 211 yards a game passing and 172 yards a game rushing. 

Stephen Cole 

Offensive line

Junior

Kemper County

Why he’s here: Cole did his part to help protect Kemper County’s quarterbacks, as he allowed only two sacks on the season. He was also named Region 5-3A’s Best Offensive Lineman. The Wildcats had 3,177 yards of total offense with 1,804 yards passing and 1,373 yards rushing this past season.

Judson Moore 

Kicker

Sophomore

Russell Christian

Why he’s here:Moore was a big weapon for Russell Christian in its ACEA eight-man state championship season. He accounted for 2,200 yards and seven touchbacks on 79 kickoffs, and he also had 16 punts for 497 yards. He hit two of three field goals this season, one from 30 yards out, and was 51 of 59 in PATs. Moore was named an All-State kicker in ACEA eight-man football.

DEFENSE

Deuntra Hyman 

Defensive line

Senior

Meridian

Why he’s here: Despite missing time this season due to injury, this Dandy Dozen selection and Ole Miss commit made his presence felt when on the field. Hyman finished with 83 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and 19 quarterback hurries. He also had one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one defensive touchdown.

Jamond Gordon 

Defensive line

Junior

Meridian

Why he’s here: Gordon was an absolute terror on the Wildcats’ defensive line this past season, finishing with 83 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 40 quarterback hurries — along with an eye-opening 17 1/2 sacks. As a junior, Gordon is currently ranked as the No. 19 player in Mississippi for the class of 2019 by 247Sports.com.

Tylo Phillips 

Defensive line

Senior

West Lauderdale

Why he’s here: A first-team All-State selection in Class 4A, Phillips was a standout of West Lauderdale’s defensive line. He tallied 73 solo tackles (97 total) along with 22 tackles for loss, six sacks and three pass breakups. Phillips also had two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He tallied double-digit tackling efforts on two occasions.

Trajan Tanksley 

Defensive line

Senior

Kemper County

Why he’s here: A second-team Premier Preps selection in 2016, Tanksley followed that up with an impressive senior season. He finished with 52 tackles, 28 assists, 23 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and nine quarterback hurries for the Wildcats. He as named to the All-Region 5-3A first team. Tanksley scored rushing touchdowns against Choctaw Central and Southeast Lauderdale.

Tyteon Gordon 

Linebacker

Senior

Meridian

Why he’s here: Gordon was a ball hawk on Meridian’s defense, finishing with a whopping 251 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, three sacks, 12 quarterback hurries, one interception, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and one defensive touchdown. According to Max Preps, Gordon’s 251 tackles led Mississippi and the nation. 

Christian Spears 

Linebacker

Junior

Neshoba Central

Why he’s here: Spears amassed a whopping 175 tackles for the Rockets — which was good enough to lead all of Class 5A. Spears also finished with three sacks, six pass breakups, eight tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. Spears’ 175 tackles was ninth in the state, according to Max Preps. 

Drew Taylor 

Linebacker

Senior

Russell Christian

Why he’s here: Taylor was RCA’s most valuable player on both offense and defense and was an All-state selection at linebacker and quarterback. At linebacker, he tallied 114 tackles and 36 assists to go along with three sacks, two interceptions. Also a quarterback, Taylor passed for 2,679 yards and 40 TDs on 126 of 212 passes. He also had 132 carries for 1,016 yards and nine rushing TDs.

Xavier Curry 

Linebacker

Junior

Meridian

Why he’s here: Curry finished the season with 152 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, one interception for 20 yards and one fumble recovery to help Meridian get to the state semifinal round of the Class 6A postseason. Curry averaged 11.7 tackles per game, and ended the season with an interception and a fumble recovery.

Chris Griffin 

Linebacker

Senior

Philadelphia

Why he’s here: For the second straight year, Griffin made the Premier Preps team, this time as a linebacker. He finished with 79 tackles, 77 assists and 20 tackles for loss, good for 11.1 tackles per game. He also had 15 sacks, one interception and three pass deflections. Just like his number, his 156 total tackles was 25th in the state this season.

Eli Stringfellow 

Defensive back

Senior

Meridian

Why he’s here: A returning player for Premier Preps, Stringfellow put up another strong season for Meridian, tallying four interceptions — two returned for a touchdown — 29 pass deflections, 110 tackles and five tackles for loss. He also had a kick return and a punt return for a touchdown. Offensively, Stringfellow caught 24 passes for 384 yards and five touchdowns.

Zackariah Johnson 

Defensive back

Senior

Newton

Why he’s here: A Mississippi-Alabama All-Star selection, Johnson had 35 tackles on the year along with four INTs and nine pass breakups. Offensively, Johnson had 37 catches for 569 yards and five TDS. In addition to the All-Star accolades, Johnson also was named a Super 22 defensive back for Region 4-2A and was a first-team All-State defensive back in Class 2A. 

Nick Grady 

Defensive back

Senior

West Lauderdale

Why he’s here: Named Region 5-4A’s Most Valuable Defensive back, Grady tallied 33 solo tackles, 18 assists, one tackle for loss, five interceptions for 119 yards, 11 pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. Grady also had 20 rushes for 137 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for 38 yards. He also had 12 kickoff returns for 222 yards.

AJ Randolph 

Defensive back

Senior

Northeast Lauderdale

Why he’s here: Randolph led the Northeast Lauderdale defensive backfield with 92 tackles, four interceptions, six pass breakups and one defensive touchdown. Randolph, a shutdown defensive back, was named a Region 5-4A selection, as well.

Taylor Wood 

Kick returner

Junior

Russell Christian

Why he’s here: A force in the open field, Wood finished with eight kick returns for 347 yards and eight punt returns for 225 yards, all on which he scored. On the season, Wood tallied 1,566 all-purpose yards with 17 touchdowns. He was named the MVP of RCA’s state championship victory. Wood is also a standout on the Warriors’ basketball and powerlifting teams.