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 through the first two months of the season.
Goldman Butler (Biggersville) leads LaGrange (Ga.) College with 722 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Butler had a season-best 170 rushing yards against Huntingdon (Ala.) College. He also posted season-highs of 31 carries and three touchdowns against North Carolina Wesleyan University. The Corinth native has racked up 115-plus yards in three of the last four games heading into November.
Kenny Byrd (York, S.C.) has a team-best 55 tackles in his first season at Tiffin (Ohio) University. Byrd has also recorded five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. His season-highs are still 12 tackles and two tackles for loss from the Dragons' September 14th matchup against Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) University.
Alfernee Hankins (Charleston) is tied for the team lead at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) with six tackles for loss and is second with 2.5 sacks. Hankins had a tackle for loss in five of his first six games this season. His season-high remains four tackles against Harding (Ark.) University on September 19th.
Cedric Hillsman (Fort Valley, Ga.) is fifth on the team at the University of Fort Valley State with 23 total tackles. Hillsman also has 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and one forced fumble. He has recorded a tackle for loss in six of the Wildcats' first nine games.
Reginald Hughes (Tunica) leads Jacksonville State (Ala.) University with eight sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. He is second on the team with 52 total tackles. His season-high is still 13 tackles in a double overtime loss at Eastern Michigan University on September 14th. He has helped the Gamecocks get off to a 4-0 start in conference play.
Triston Newson (Independence) has recorded 29 tackles through seven games in his second season at the University of Missouri. Newson had a season-high seven tackles against Auburn (Ala.) University on October 19th.
Keaton Thomas (Jacksonville, Fla.) is second on the team and fourth in the Big 12 Conference with 77 tackles in his first season at Baylor (Texas) University. Thomas also has four tackles for loss, one sack and one interception through the first nine games of the year. Thomas' season-high is still 12 tackles from the Bears' Big 12 opener at the University of Utah on September 7th.
DQ Watkins (Oxford) has racked up 28 tackles through nine games for Long Island (N.Y.) University. Watkins leads the team with three sacks, one interception and four quarterback hurries. He had a season-best six tackles against Central Connecticut State University on October 26th.
Jalik Yancey (Atlanta, Ga.) has a team-high five pass breakups in his first season at Samford (Ala.) University. He has tied his season-high with four tackles three times. His lone tackle for loss, sack and interception all came against East Tennessee State University.