NEMCC Football vs Itawamba (Sept. 21, 2023)

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Students, Fans, Alumni,

On behalf of Northeast Mississippi Community College, welcome to the greatest institution in the United States!

Here at NEMCC, we have a tradition in all sports of exhibiting not only a championship atmosphere, but one of class, integrity, and professionalism. We are proud of the student/athletes that have chosen to attend Northeast. We are thankful each of you have chosen to attend this athletic event.

While our students are here, our goal is to provide opportunities of personal growth through cutting edge instruction in the classroom and athletic programs. Northeast recognizes that its primary commitment is to the education of our student-athlete.

Our vision is to develop one of the premier athletic programs in the nation. To that end, the completion of our Baseball/Softball complex was certainly a step in the right direction. In addition, the beginning of our Game, Set, Match capital giving campaign for our state of the art tennis complex shows our continued commitment to excellence.

Recently Northeast was recognized as an Apple Distinguished School. Receiving this coveted honor exhibits to the world our commitment to cutting edge technology within our instructional process.

I hope you will have time prior to or after this athletic event to walk or drive around our campus and get a small glance at what we have to offer. You are welcome to visit anytime with our students, faculty, and staff.

We are happy to have each of you as part of the Northeast family. Please feel free to contact me should the need ever arise. As you leave campus after this event, we wish you the very best and safe travels.

Sincerely,

TIGER FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF

ATHLETIC SUPPORT STAFF

VERSATILE DEFENDER BARNEY SECURES PAIR OF PRESEASON AWARDS

One of Northeast Mississippi Community College’s most consistent defenders earned a pair of prestigious awards ahead of his sophomore year.

CJ Barney was recognized as a secondteam Preseason All-America selection by the Rivals recruiting network publication JCGridiron.

In addition, Barney also obtained Preseason All-Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) honors from the Mississippi Gridiron magazine.

“CJ has done a wonderful job,” said Tigers head coach Greg Davis. “He played relentless last season and with heart and passion. Whenever you play with that attitude and motor, good things happen.

“His approach every day is spot on. We feel really good about his leadership qualities. He’s done a remarkable job. I’m really excited about his future and what he can do for us.”

He secured these honors after starting for Northeast at outside linebacker during the 2022 campaign. However, Barney may spend just as much time as an edge rusher on the defensive front this year.

“I had a lot of great people around me, players and coaches, that were able to develop me a lot,” Barney said. “Coming out of high school, I only played d-end. I love to get in the trenches. I find it fun, but I’m glad whenever I do get to get to show that coverage part of my game as well.”

Barney is the leading returning tackler for the Tigers with 68 stops. That was third most on the team behind only Kenny Byrd and Triston Newson, who both signed scholarships with institutions at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level.

The 6-1, 220-pounder also added 7.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks and a pass break up during his inaugural season at Northeast. His average for last year was 7.6 takedowns per contest.

“I appreciate God and my teammates and my family, all of them for helping me get to this spot,” said Barney. “I came here as a freshman humble, hungry and just ready to do my part on the team. We’re going to see what we can do this year.”

Barney had six or more stops during all but one game during the previous campaign. He posted back-to-back doubledigit tackling performances against East Central Community College and Holmes Community College.

He had a special night in the matchup with Holmes, which was played at his alma mater of Madison Central High School due to ongoing turf installation in Goodman, with a career-high 13 takedowns. That included eight solos and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Barney’s efforts helped the Tigers top the conference with only 278.1 yards given up per game. Northeast also led the MACCC North Division in terms of points allowed at 18.7.

NORTHEAST TIGERS 2023 ROSTER

HEAD COACH

Greg Davis

(9th year - Texas Christian University)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Ryan Trevathan (1st year - Arkansas State University)

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Sean Cannon (1st year - Delta State University)

DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH

Steadman Campbell (1st year - University of Arkansas)

LINEBACKERS COACH

Cedric Shell (6th year - Alcorn State University)

WIDE RECEIVERS COACH

Cole Rotenberry (3rd year - Mississippi College)

VOLUNTEER COACH

Reed Davis

PRESIDENT

Dr. Ricky Ford (9th year- Mississippi State University)

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Kent Farris (9th year- University of North Alabama)

ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Brenda Mayes (2nd year - University of North Alabama)

SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR Blake Long (11th year - University of Mississippi)

SPORTS INFORMATION SPECIALIST Ryan Moreland

year - Mississippi State University) DIRECTOR

ITAWAMBA INDIANS 2023 ROSTER

EXPERIENCED COACHING STAFF LEADS TIGERS INTO NEW SEASON

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally ran in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal on August 5, 2023. It has been edited slightly to reflect upcoming dates.

Northeast Mississippi Community College has built one of the most experienced football coaching staffs in the state.

The Tigers are one of only two teams in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) North Division to employ three coaches with 20 or more years of service at the collegiate level. Northeast has five total coaches with previous coordinator experience.

It starts at the top with Greg Davis, who becomes the second longest tenured head coach in program history this season. He trails only National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Hall of Famer W.B. “Bill” Ward in years.

Eight of Davis’ former Tigers have signed professional contracts. That includes defensive lineman Antonio Moultrie with the Green Bay Packers and wide receiver Xavier Malone with the Atlanta Falcons within the last couple of months.

“This is a great place. It’s very special,” said Davis. “We’ve had a lot of talented kids. This place overall attracts them, but the way that we treat people here is really, honestly, the best thing we do here in this program.”

Davis’ teams in the past have been known for their outstanding defense. Northeast led

the conference last fall by only allowing 278.1 yards per game.

Sean Cannon has those same expectations during his inaugural season as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator. The Northeast alum came home after spending more than a decade at rival Itawamba Community College.

“When you go from being a head coach back to an assistant, you become a really good assistant because you know what the head coach goes through,” Cannon said. “It’s been a good change of scenery for me. The thing I’ve tried to do is take a lot off of coach Davis’ plate.

“Hopefully the experiences that I’ve had over the years when I was a head coach will help us in game management situations or whatever it is to hopefully set us up to have some success.”

One could not tell that Cannon is the Tigers’ most veteran coach based on his energy and exuberance during fall camp practices.

“One of the head coaches that I worked for in the past talked about, ‘The speed of the pack is the speed of the leader,’” said Cannon. “If the leader is pushing, the pack is going to follow. That’s the mentality I try to bring every day.”

Cannon has a previous working relationship with another newcomer to Northeast in Steadman Campbell. The duo together helped lead the University of North Alabama to two league championships in four years.

Campbell will serve as the Tigers’ defensive backs instructor. However, he was both an

offensive and defensive coordinator for the Lions as they transitioned from NCAA Division II powerhouse to the FCS level.

“The biggest difference is you get kids for one or two years and so your plan’s got to be such that they can pick it up a little quicker,” Campbell said. “You’ve got to really know how much to implement. That’s been my biggest adjustment so far.”

Northeast will also benefit from the return of offensive coordinator Ryan Trevathan, who was at Arkansas Tech University for the last four years. Linebackers coach Cedric Shell is a former coordinator at Coahoma Community College as well.

“We’ve attracted some good coaches,” said Davis. “We have open and honest discussions about how to put our players in the right positions to make plays. These men have a wealth of knowledge that’s going to be very beneficial.”

Davis also believes that these additions to his staff will help Northeast win more recruiting battles and bring even more gifted student-athletes onto campus.

“Our coaches do a wonderful job evaluating kids to see what’s going to be the best fit for us,” he said. “It’s not just always about talent. It’s about character and player development.”

Two of the next three games for the Tigers are at home starting tonight with visiting Itawamba. Holmes Community College comes to town on October 5th for Northeast’s annual homecoming game.

Northeast Mississippi Community College is celebrating its 75th anniversary during the 2023-24 school year. We will pay tribute to our rich history in athletics with throwback promotional materials for each sport. The front cover of this program is adapted from our first-ever football game program from November 3, 1949 when the Tigers hosted Itawamba. The image on the right is a scan of the exact cover.