BOONEVILLE, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College football program currently has 37 student-athletes continuing their playing careers at four-year institutions.
Twenty-five former Tigers play NCAA Division I football with five calling a Power Four university their home. Nine alumni play at the Division II level, two suit up for Division III teams and two more 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 2025 campaign.
TJ Fields (Aberdeen) is in his first season at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM). He has 17 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown through the first four games of the season for the Weevils. Fields had a season-high eight catches for 104 yards along with his lone touchdown on September 27 against Arkansas Tech University.
Juwon Gaston (Montgomery, Ala.) is in his first season at Middle Tennessee State University. Gaston has recorded 26 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and two interceptions through the first five games of the season. He was named Conference USA Defense Player of the Week following his performance against the University of Nevada. He had five tackles along with his two interceptions against the Wolf Pack. Gaston followed that performance with eight tackles and two pass break ups against Marshall (W.Va.) University on September 20.
Reginald Hughes (Tunica) is in his first season at the University of Colorado. Hughes is second on the team with 28 tackles through the first five games of the season for the Buffaloes. The linebacker had a season-high 13 tackles in the season opener against Georgia Tech University.
Jaylon Lewis (Columbus) is in his second season at Central Methodist (Mo.) University. Lewis has played in four games on the offensive line for the Eagles. In its last three games, the Eagles have averaged 44.3 points and 454.7 yards of offense. They posted a season-high 485 yards against Peru State (Neb.) College on September 20.
Chris McMillian (Fort Valley, Ga.) is in his first season at Bowling Green State (Ohio) University. McMillian has run for 226 yards and two touchdowns through the first four games of the season. He ran for a season-high 89 yards against Ohio University on September 27. McMillian's first rushing touchdown of the season came against Liberty (Va.) University on September 13.
Jermaine Ray (Southaven) is in his second season at the University of North Alabama. Ray has totaled 18 tackles through the first four games of the season. The defensive back had a season-high 10 tackles and five pass break ups against Illinois State University on September 20.
Keaton Thomas (Jacksonville, Fla.) is in his second season at Baylor (Texas) University. Thomas leads the Big 12 Conference through the first month of the season with 49 tackles. Thomas had a career-high 16 tackles in the season opener against Auburn (Ala.) University on August 29. He was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, which is given to the best defensive player in college football, and Butkus Award Watch List, which is given to the nation's best linebacker in terms of both athletic achievement and community service. He was a unanimous preseason first-team all-conference selection. Thomas was also named a preseason fourth-team All-American by both Athlon and Phil Steele.
RJ Whitehead (Horn Lake) has played in four games on the offensive line in the opening month of his first season at the University of Southern Mississippi. The Golden Eagles have rushed for over 100 yards in all five games to the start season. Southern Miss had a season-high 393 yards of offense against Louisiana Tech University on September 20.