M E E T T H E 2016 G A M E CO C K S
HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped at Glencoe High School under Lee Ozmint … led the Yellow Jackets to a AHSAA Class 3A semfinal playoff game in 2014.
HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped at Piedmont Hills High School in San Jose, Calif…also played basketball for the Pirates.
CORNERBACK
5-11 • 175 • R-SO TUSCALOOSA, ALA. • PAUL W. BRYANT HS WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY PRIOR TO JSU: Enrolled in January of 2016 after transferring from Washington State, where he appeared in four games over two years and racked up nine tackles and two pass break ups. HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped at Paul W. Bryant High School…rated threestar recruit by ESPN, Rivals and Scout…ranked No. 75 cornerback in the nation by ESPN.
6-5 • 219 • R-FR PASADENA, CALIF. • LA SALLE HS JSU CAREER: 2015: Sat out the season as a redshirt. HIGH SCHOOL: Played for head coach Russell Gordon at La Salle High School in Pasadena, Calif…a prolific passer with nearly 4,000 yards passing on the prep level and tossed 46 career touchdown passes…also rushed for 600 yards of offense…named to multiple all-area squads and tabbed to the Blue-Grey All-American All-Star game…collected all-region status as a junior at LHS…set the LHS school record for the longest touchdown pass as a junior with an 85-yard toss…shattered that mark as a senior with a 99-yard touchdown strike, which is also a California state record…started prep career at Village Christian High School in Sun Valley, Calif…also competed in volleyball at LHS.
OVC
17 Pat Porter
QUARTERBACK
HISTORY
PRIOR TO JSU: Played two seasons at De Anza College in Cupertino, Calif…a three-star recruit according to rivals.com out of junior college, where he recorded 34 tackles, an interception and three break ups as a sophomore…he had 33 stops as a freshman in 2013.
RECORDS
JSU CAREER: 2015: Sat out the season as a redshirt.
11 Will Pyburn
REVIEW
6-1 • 190 • R-JR SAN JOSE, CALIF. • PIEDMONT HILLS HS DE ANZA (CALIF.) COLLEGE
HIGH SCHOOL: Full name is William Jayse Pruitt…born December 7, 1995, in Fort Payne, Ala…son of Jeremy Pruitt and Haley Martin… has three brothers, John David, Grant and Ridge…father Jeremy is the defensive coordinator at Alabama…majoring in communications at JSU.
OPPONENTS
CORNERBACK
PRIOR TO JSU: Played for head coach Dale Pruitt at Plainview High School in Rainsville, Ala…the son of Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt…led the Bears to the second round of the AHSAA Class 3A State Playoffs after a 34-6 win over Weaver in the first round…was named MVP of 3A Region 7…led PHS to the 3A Region 7 title with a perfect 7-0 mark in region play, its first region title in seven years.
ABOUT JSU
13 Thaddeus Philyaw
JSU CAREER: 2015: Sat out the season as a redshirt. COACHES
2015: Sat out the season as a redshirt.
GAMECOCKS
6-2 • 230 • R-FR GLENCOE, ALA. • GLENCOE HS
5-11 • 210 • R-FR RAINSVILLE, ALA. • PLAINVIEW HS
OUTLOOK
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
QUARTERBACK
INTRO
61 Ty Minshew
13 Jayse Pruitt
PERSONAL: Full name is Will Simon Pyburn…born December 2, 1996, in Phoenix, Ariz…son of Jeff Pyburn and DeeDee Spickler…has four siblings, two sisters - Aubrey and Ivory - and a pair of brothers - Jay and Christian…father Jeff played at Georgia before playing for the Buffalo Bills…father also played in the San Diego Padres organization…grandfather Jimmy Pyburn was a star at Auburn before playing professionally for the Washington Redskins…grandfather also played for the Baltimore Orioles and is in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame…undecided on major.
www.JSUGamecockSports.com
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