2018 JUCO recruits who could make an instant impact on college football, with more still to come

The 2017 Early Signing Period wrapped up last week. But don’t let the early signing of high school recruits overshadow what has always taken place in December: junior college signings. A plethora of talented JUCO prospects signed with schools who can make an immediate impact. Let’s take a look at where the top uncommitted JUCO prospects ended up signing in December.

Saivion Smith, four-star CB, Mississippi Gulf CC (Florida): The nation’s No. 1 rated JUCO prospect, and No. 1 prospect from Florida signed with Alabama, and he will be a huge addition for the Tide, who have suffered from injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Prior to his JUCO days, Smith was at LSU, where he transferred from last summer after not seeing much playing time.

Antwuan Jackson Jr., four-star DT, Blinn College (Georgia): Jackson signed with Ohio State, where can start playing immediately. He was verbally committed to the Buckeyes since September. He’s the No. 1 defensive tackle in this year’s class, and the No. 2 overall prospect out of Georgia. Previously, Jackson took a redshirt at Auburn before transferring to Blinn College.

Stephen Guidry, four-star WR, Hinds C.C. (La.): Guidry is the No. 1 JUCO wideout in the country, and he signed with Mississippi State, where he had been committed since September. Keeping Guidry in the 2018 class is a huge win for new Bulldogs head coach Joe Moorhead, and he’s one of four blue-chippers in the Bulldogs’ class so far.

Teair Tart-Spencer, four-star DT, East Mississippi C.C. (Miss.): Spencer, out of the former school of Netflix’s Last Chance U, is the No. 5 JUCO prospect in the country. He ended up signing with Butch Davis and FIU, despite claiming offers from the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, and Ole Miss. He joins fellow four-star JUCO Panthers signee Tayland Humphrey in FIU’s 2018 class.

Travez Moore, four-star DE, Copiah-Lincoln C.C. (La.): Moore, the nation’s No. 1 ranked JUCO weak-side defensive end, signed with LSU, where he was verbally committed since February. Outside of the Tigers, he had offers from Ole Miss and Oregon.

Tramonda Moore, four-star OT, Independence C.C. (Ok.): Moore is JUCO’s No. 1 offensive tackle in this year’s class, and he’s the top-ranked JUCO prospect out of the state of Oklahoma, too. He signed with Oklahoma, where he was committed since June, making his pledge shortly after he received an offer from them.

Badara Traore, four-star OT, ASA College (Ma.): Traore, out of Hyde Park, (Mass.), is the nation’s No. 8 overall JUCO prospect. He had 32 offers, but he committed to LSU on Dec. 7, and signed with him two weeks later. He stuck with his commitment even after taking an official visit to Tennessee late.

Tayland Humphrey, four-star DT, Hutchinson C.C. (Texas): Despite the Spring, Texas prospect being the No. 3 defensive tackle in this 2018’s JUCO class, he committed to FIU over 26 other offers on Dec. 15, and he signed with the Panthers the following week. At the time of his commitment, he gave FIU their only blue-chip recruit in its class, but Spencer signing with the Panthers changed that.

Devonte Wyatt, four-star DT, Hutchinson C.C. (Ga): The No. 4 JUCO defensive tackle is staying close to home, and signed with Georgia. Wyatt was originally supposed to enroll with the 2017 class, but never did due to academic issues. Good by Kirby Smart to get him to stick with the Dawgs for 2018.

Dominick Wood-Anderson, TE, Arizona Western College (Calif.): Wood-Anderson is 2018’s No. 1 JUCO tight end, and he was expected to be signed by Alabama. But new Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt got him to sign with the Vols instead, marking the first major recruiting victory for Pruitt in his new gig.

Jeremy Webb, four-star DB, ASA College (Ill.): Virginia Tech signed Webb, the No. 2 JUCO tight end for 2018. Webb committed to the Hokies on Dec. 15, a little over a month after his official visit to Blacksburg. He picked the Hokies over seven other offers, including ones from West Virginia, Florida, Nebraska, and others.

Caleb Tremblay, four-star DT, American River C.C. (Calif.): Tremblay, JUCO’s No. 1 prospect out of the state of California, signed with USC. It was a big get for Clay Helton, given that Tremblay had some impressive offers from UCLA and Alabama.

Anthony McKinney, four-star OT, Iowa Western C.C. (Ill.): McKinney, the No. 1 JUCO prospect out of Illinois, signed with TCU, where he was a verbal commit since July. McKinney is one of five blue-chips Gary Patterson has been able to haul in for 2018.

Davion Taylor, four-star LB, Coahoma C.C. (Miss.): Taylor is the No. 1 JUCO linebacker for 2018, and he signed with Colorado, where he was previously committed to since Dec. 17. He chose the Buffaloes over Ole Miss, Arkansas, and a few others.

Marlon Character Jr., four-star S, Northwest Mississippi C.C. (Ga.): Character was the top-rated JUCO safety for 2018. He signed with South Carolina, where he was committed since August. Previously, he enrolled at Auburn, but left following a reported “incident” with a teammate.

Some of the remaining uncommitted top four-star JUCOs that will make impacts wherever they end up include cornerback Benjie Franklin, offensive tackle Jahmir Johnson, offensive guard Desmond Bland, and defensive end Dorian Bland. We will update this story when they sign.