BOONEVILLE, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College football program currently has 41 student-athletes continuing their playing careers at four-year institutions.
Twenty-seven former Tigers play NCAA Division I football with seven calling a Power Four university their home. Nine alumni play at the Division II level, three suit up for Division III teams and two are at NAIA schools.
The following is an update on how members of the Northeast family have fared at the end of one full month of the 2024 campaign.
Deonta Barnes (Lexington) is in his second season at Southern Arkansas University. Barnes is fifth on the team with 21 total tackles. The linebacker recorded a season-high six tackles in the Muleriders' season opener against Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Barnes matched that total two games later against Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) University.
Goldman Butler (Biggersville) is in his second season at LaGrange (Ga.) College. Butler leads the team with 205 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Butler has rushed for over 70 yards in two of the Panthers' three games. The Corinth native had a season-high 79 yards in their season-opener at East Texas Baptist University.
Kenny Byrd (York, S.C.) is in his first season at Tiffin (Ohio) University. Byrd tops the Dragons with 30 tackles on the young season and ties for the team lead with 4.5 tackles for loss. He recorded a season-high 12 tackles and two tackles for loss on September 14th against Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) University.
Alfernee Hankins (Charleston) has played in all four games for the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM). Hankins has nine total tackles and leads the team with four tackles for loss. He recorded a season-high four tackles against Harding (Ark.) University on September 19th and two tackles for loss in the Weevils' opener against Northwestern Oklahoma State University.
Cedric Hillsman (Fort Valley, Ga.) is in his second year at his hometown university of Fort Valley State. Hillsman has posted 10 total tackles. He is second on the team with four tackles for loss and two sacks. Hillsman has recorded a tackle for loss in each of the Wildcats' first four games of the season.
Reginald Hughes (Tunica) is in his first season at Jacksonville State (Ala.) University. Hughes leads the team in quarterback hurries and is second in total tackles, tackles for loss and sacks. The edge rusher had a season-high 13 tackles against Eastern Michigan University. Hughes has recorded 19 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and five quarterback hurries over the last two games.
Triston Newson (Independence) has 14 total tackles in four games for the University of Missouri. The former Northeast All-American recorded five tackles each against Murray State (Ky.) University and Boston (Mass.) College. Newson has helped the Tigers appear in the Associated Press top 25 in four of the six polls that have been released.
Dallas Payne (Bay St. Louis) is in his third season at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Payne has caught four passes for 44 yards and one touchdown through four games for the Blazers. He had a season-best three catches for 33 yards along with his lone score against the University of Arkansas.
Keaton Thomas (Jacksonville, Fla.) is in his first season at Baylor (Texas) University following his All-American season in 2023 for Northeast. Thomas is second on the team with 43 tackles and tied for a team-best three tackles for loss. The linebacker has recorded seven or more tackles in all five games for the Bears. Thomas recorded a season-high 12 tackles on September 7th at the University of Utah.
DQ Watkins (Oxford) is in his second season at Long Island (N.Y.) University. Watkins was named a second-team preseason all-conference selection in Phil Steele's annual preview magazine. He has 15 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks through five games for the Sharks. Watkins has matched a season-high five tackles in road trips to Texas Christian University (TCU) and Villanova (Pa.) University.