Jax State signees
- Updated: December 4, 2024
Gamecocks add nine high school seniors on first day of early signing period, including Southside DL McCade Wright.
By East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE — Jax State coach Rich Rodriguez announced the newest members of the 2025 Jax State football team following the December signing period on Wednesday.
The class includes nine high school seniors, four on offense and five on defense.
On offense, the Gamecocks added a pair of in-state linemen in Jackson’s Markevian Blake and Ramsay’s Lance Johnson. Blake will play in this week’s 4A State Championship game and has helped the Aggies reach the title game for the first time since 2011. Johnson will participate in the AHSAA North/South All-Star Game.
Wide receiver Blake Wallace and running back Lucas Farrington are highly recruited out-of-state freshmen. Wallace comes from Spanish River High School in Florida, where he had more than 3,000 career receiving yards. Farrington scored 20 touchdowns and averaged more than 100 all-purpose yards per game at Walton High School in Georgia.
The defensive signees include Southside lineman McCade Wright. He posted 10 tackles for loss and eight sacks during his senior year and helped the Panthers to a pair of playoff appearances.
In-state prospects Luke Reynolds and DJ Vinson bring versatility to play linebacker or in the secondary. Reynolds played offense and defense at Briarwood Christian, and Vinson was highly recruited after scoring 17 touchdowns on offense and intercepting six passes at Montgomery Academy.
Linebacker Mac Sanders from Ola High School in Georgia recorded 20 tackles for loss and recorded 164 total tackles. Safety Manny Watkins from Georgia’s Temple High School posted 10 tackles for loss from the secondary this past season, and he’s a former 100-meter dash state champion.
Jax State’s early signee bios
Markevian Blake
Offensive Line | Jackson HS | Gainestown
Will play in 4A state championship game this week … Preps at Jackson High School under head coach Cody Flournoy … Has helped the Aggies to their first AHSAA state championship game since 2011.
Lucas Farrington
Running Back | Walton HS | Atlanta
Three-star prospect, according to 247 Sports and Rivals … Ninth-rated running back in Georgia … Recorded more than 1,100 all-purpose yards in 11 games this season with 20 touchdowns … Chose Jax State over offers from Arkansas, Troy, UAB, Liberty and others.
Lance Johnson
Offensive Line | Ramsay HS | Birmingham
Selected to the 2024 AHSAA North/South All-Star Game … Helped Ramsay to the Class 5A AHSAA title in 2022 and an appearance in the state title game in 2023 … Chose Jax State over offers from Samford, Alabama A&M, Marshall and Arkansas State.
Luke Reynolds
Linebacker/Safety | Briarwood Christian HS | Birmingham
Prepped under coach Matthew Forester … Played on both sides of the ball for the Lions, starring at linebacker and running back … Rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-6 win over Corner early in the season … Closed out his regular season with a five-touchdown, 206-yard performance against McAdory … Also lettered in baseball.
Mac Sanders
Linebacker | Ola HS | McDonough, Ga.
A consensus three-star prospect, according to 247 Sports, On3 and ESPN … Wrapped up his senior season at Ola High School with 164 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, four sacks and three interceptions … Also lettered in baseball at Ola High School … Chose Jax State over offers from Troy, UAB, Georgia State and East Carolina among others.
D.J. Vinson
Athlete/Safety | Montgomery Academy | Montgomery
Three-star prospect, according to On3, 247 Sports and Rivals … Chose Jax State over offers including Arkansas, Tennessee, South Florida and Vanderbilt … Wrapped up his senior season with 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns while adding 42 tackles and six interceptions … Named 4A second team all-state by the Alabama Sports Writers Association following his junior season in 2023 … Selected to the 2024 AHSAA North/South All-Star Game.
Blake Wallace
Wide Receiver | Spanish River HS | Boca Raton, Fla.
Three-star prospect, according to 247 Sports … Chose Jax State over multiple offers, including Boston College, Coastal Carolina, Liberty, Marshall and Pittsburgh … Recorded more than 3,000 receiving yards in his career … Had 57 catches for 1,085 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior … Averaged 21.3 yards per catch as a senior with 13 touchdowns.
Manny Watkins
Safety | Temple HS | Temple, Ga.
Three-star prospect, according to On3, 247 Sports and ESPN … Finished his senior season with 55 tackles and 10 tackles for a loss … Named to the 2024 all-region first team … Won the 2024 1A state title in the 100-meter dash.
McCade Wright
Defensive Line | Southside HS | Gadsden
Three-star prospect, according to 247 Sports and On3 … Had 10 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a senior … Helped the Panthers to a first-round playoff appearance in 2023 and 2024.
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