MGCCC Football Season Preview: The Regulators

PERKINSTON — There's a lot of talent returning from last year's Mississippi Gulf Coast defense, which dubbed themselves The Regulators. There's a lot of talented freshmen and transfers joining the mix, too.

The Bulldogs led the NJCAA in total defense (191.9 yards per game) and second in scoring defense (12.3 points per game). The Regulators nickname comes from their defensive coordinator, Dr. Brett Shufelt, a history instructor. They were a deputized posse that fought Billy the Kid in New Mexico and were featured in the 1980s movie "Young Guns."

The defense will get a chance to prove itself in the season-opener Thursday at Pearl River. Kickoff in Poplarville is set for 7 p.m.

"Overall, they're really good at pursuing the football," Gulf Coast head coach Jack Wright said. "Anytime there's an opening or a crease, it just doesn't seem to stay there long. They're really good at correcting themselves or pursuing themselves back into pretty good shape."

The strength of The Regulators lies in the second level, where as freshmen Mike Smith (So., Ridgeland/Flora) and Navonteque Strong (So., Scott Central/Forest) led what's now known as the MACCC with 105 and 104 total tackles, respectively. That ranked sixth and seventh in the country.

"We have a great group of linebackers, and Mike Smith and Navonteque Strong get a lot of well-deserved attention based on what they did last year, but we have two other really good ones too with C.J. Williams and Malik Jones who played a lot of football last year," Wright said. "We've got to lean on all four of those guys this year."

Jones (So., Grenada/Grenada) was a true ballhawk last year, with four fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one interception to go along with 77 total tackles. Williams had 21 total tackle and two tackles for loss as a freshman.

Brian Merritt (So., Colquitt County/Moultrie, Ga.) will garner a lot of attention up front after posting 11 tackles for loss as a freshman defensive tackle. He won NJCAA and MACJC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 11 total tackles, 4.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks in a 55-24 win over Southwest Mississippi.

"Brian's just extremely disruptive," Wright said. "He's strong, very strong in his lower body. He's in the backfield a lot in games and in practice. He plays with great effort."

Jae'Vien Gill (So., Neshoba Central/Philadelphia) came on strong down the stretch last season, earning playing time in a talented D-line group that went 12 or 13 deep. Jace McCoy (So., North Pike/Summit) and Hydee Barlow (So., Scott Central/Forest) have had good camps and shown a lot of improvement. 

The back end is led by a trio of returners. Jadarrius Perkins (So., Hattiesburg/Hattiesburg) and Leon Jones (So., North Forrest/Hattiesburg) will play at cornerback, and Isaac Gowdy (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) is a safety.

"We're counting on Perkins, Gowdy and Leon Jones coming back from last year to lead that group and set the tone," Wright said. "We ask a lot out of that group. They're going to be tested and attacked, and we need them to come through. They've shown they're able to go out there and do that in practice."

There is a trio of bounceback players who will also see action: cornerback Scooby Carter (Fr., Mansfield Legacy/Mansfield, Texas) from Alabama, Jashon Baker (So., Tylertown/Tylertown) from Jackson State, and Jonathan Gipson (So., Mill Creek/Hoschton, Ga.) who redshirted at South Carolina in 2018.

Review Tuesday: The Offense

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