2025 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team

2025 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football
Conference	Conference USA
Record	2–3 (1–0 CUSA)
Head coach	Charles Kelly (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Clint Trickett (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Brian Williams (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	AmFirst Stadium
Seasons ←  2024 2026 →

2025 Conference USA football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Louisiana Tech		2	–	0					4	–	1
Western Kentucky		2	–	0					4	–	1
Delaware*		1	–	0					3	–	1
Kennesaw State		1	–	0					3	–	2
Jacksonville State		1	–	0					2	–	3
FIU		0	–	1					2	–	2
New Mexico State		0	–	1					2	–	2
Missouri State*		0	–	1					2	–	3
Liberty		0	–	1					1	–	4
Middle Tennessee		0	–	1					1	–	4
UTEP		0	–	1					1	–	4
Sam Houston		0	–	1					0	–	4
Championship: December 5, 2025
* – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules As of September 28, 2025

The 2025 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team represents Jacksonville State University in Conference USA (CUSA) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks are led by Charles Kelly in his first year as the head coach. ^[1] The Gamecocks play home games at AmFirst Stadium, located in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
Te'Sean Smoot	QB	Alabama State
Daveion Harley	IOL	California
Reginald Hughes	LB	Colorado
Tar'Varish Dawson	WR	FIU
Austin Ambush	S	Georgia State
Zedric Washington	LB	Hinds CC
Jabari Mack	DB	Louisville
Jibreel Al-Amin	LB	Marshall
Demarcus Lacey	WR	Marshall
Zion Turner	QB	Marshall
Zechariah Poyser	S	Miami
Ky'won McCray	LB	New Mexico
Will O'Steen	OT	North Carolina
Fred Davis II	DB	Northwestern
Jamal Siler	OL	South Alabama
K.D. Arnold	OL	UCLA
Jarod Bowie	WR	West Virginia
Jacob Barrick	TE	West Virginia
Cam Vaughn	WR	West Virginia
Fred Perry	S	West Virginia
Derek Carter	DB	West Virginia
Jordan McCants	WR	West Virginia
Anthony Benjamin	WR	Western Carolina
Geimere Latimer	DB	Wisconsin
Tee Denson	DB	Unknown
Jaleel Birdsong	LB	Unknown
Kevin Ellis	DL	Unknown
Mike Franklin	RB	Unknown
Anwar Lewis	RB	Unknown
Collin Westfelt	LS	Withdrawn
Jackson Veasy	DL	Withdrawn

Incoming

Player	Position	Previous school
Franklin Baret Jr.	WR	Appalachian State
Cole Marszalek	LS	Arizona State
Rod Elston	S	Auburn
Dylan Gentry	WR	Auburn
Myles Butler	LB	Campbellsville
Caleb Nix	S	Clemson
Trevor Woods	S	Colorado
Jaheim Jenkins	S	Eastern Michigan
Jacarvis Alexandre	CB	Ferris State
Kam Bell	TE	Florida Atlantic
Caleb Cooms	WR	Florida Atlantic
Isaac Walker	EDGE	Georgia Southern
Jacob Cruz	DL	Georgia Tech
Jeremiah Orr	OT	Hampton
Gavin Wimsatt	QB	Kentucky
Cade Cunningham	QB	Memphis
Tyrin Taylor	DB	Memphis
Larry Preston	DB	Murray State
Deondre Johnson	WR	Rutgers
Cam Cook	RB	TCU
Adrian Gumm	IOL	Tusculum
Tre'quon Fegans	CB	UCF
Harrison Hamsley	TE	Valdosta State
Khurtiss Perry	DL	Virginia Tech

^{[2] [3] [4]}

Coaching staff additions

Name	New Position	Previous Team	Previous Position	Source
Charles Kelly	Head coach	Auburn	Co-defensive coordinator/Safeties	[5]
Clint Trickett	Offensive coordinator	Georgia Southern	Tight ends/Pass game coordinator	[6]
Brian Williams	Defensive coordinator	Maryland	Defensive coordinator/defensive line coach
Deshaun Davis	Linebackers	North Alabama	Linebackers	[7]
Max Thurmond	Special teams/Running backs	Tennessee	Senior offensive analyst	[8]
Lawrence Dawsey	Wide receivers	Appalachian State	Wide receivers	[9]
Rohan Gaines	Defensive backs	Auburn	Defensive analyst	[10]
Taylor Housewright	Tight ends	Georgia Southern	Senior offensive analyst	[11]
Xavier Garcia	Defensive line	Georgia Tech	Defensive assistant	[12]
Bert Biffani	Outside linebackers/Recruiting coordinator	Pell City High School	Defensive coordinator	[13]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 28	6:00 p.m.	at UCF *	Acrisure Bounce House Orlando, FL	ESPN+	L 10–17	43,043
September 6	11:00 a.m.	Liberty	AmFirst Stadium Jacksonville, AL	CBSSN	W 34–24	20,755
September 13	6:00 p.m.	at Georgia Southern *	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	ESPN+	L 34–41	24,585
September 20	6:00 p.m.	Murray State *	AmFirst Stadium Jacksonville, AL	ESPN+	W 45–10	21,426
September 27	6:00 p.m.	at Southern Miss *	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	L 25–42	25,034
October 9	7:00 p.m.	at Sam Houston	Shell Energy Stadium Houston, TX	CBSSN
October 15	6:00 p.m.	Delaware	AmFirst Stadium Jacksonville, AL	ESPN2
October 29	6:30 p.m.	at Middle Tennessee	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	ESPN2
November 8	2:00 p.m.	at UTEP	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX	ESPN Networks
November 15	1:00 p.m.	Kennesaw State	AmFirst Stadium Jacksonville, AL	ESPN Networks
November 22	2:30 p.m.	at FIU	Pitbull Stadium Miami, FL	CBSSN
November 29	1:00 p.m.	Western Kentucky	AmFirst Stadium Jacksonville, AL	ESPN Networks
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Central time

^[14]

Game summaries

at UCF

See also: 2025 UCF Knights football team

Game One – Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0–0) at UCF Knights (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	0	0	3	7	10
Knights	0	0	3	14	17

at Acrisure Bounce House • Orlando, FL

• Date: Thursday August 28, 2025
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Rain, 81 °F (27 °C)
• Game attendance: 43,043
• Referee: Kevin Boitmann
• TV announcers (ESPN+): A. J. Ricketts (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst)

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter No scoring plays Third quarter UCF – Anthony Venneri 24-yard field goal, 8:03. Knights 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 3:06. JVST – Garrison Rippa 42-yard field goal, 5:28. Tied 3–3. Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 2:35. Fourth quarter JVST – Andrew Paul 10-yard run (Garrison Rippa kick), 12:01. Gamecocks 10–3. Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 5:17. UCF – Dylan Wade 39-yard pass from Tayven Jackson (Anthony Venneri kick), 9:30. Tied 10–10. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 2:25. UCF – DJ Black 33-yard pass from Tayven Jackson (Anthony Venneri kick), 1:03. Knights 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 0:32.

Statistics	JVST	UCF
First downs	18	23
Total yards	322	422
Rushing yards	165	108
Passing yards	157	314
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16-30-1	22-33-0
Time of possession	28:04	31:56

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jacksonville State	Passing	Gavin Wimsatt	15/29, 139 yards, INT
	Rushing	Cam Cook	17 carries, 75 yards
	Receiving	Cam Cook	4 receptions, 43 yards
UCF	Passing	Tayven Jackson	17/24, 282 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Myles Montgomery	21 carries, 79 yards
	Receiving	Myles Montgomery	3 receptions, 71 yards

vs. Liberty

See also: 2025 Liberty Flames football team

Game Two – Liberty Flames (1–0) at Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Flames	7	3	0	14	24
Gamecocks	7	10	7	10	34

at AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, AL

• Date: Saturday September 6, 2025
• Game time: 11:00 a.m.
• Game attendance: 20,755
• Referee: Rodney Burnette
• TV announcers (CBSSN): Jordan Kent (play-by-play) and Adam Breneman (analyst)

Game information

First quarter JVST – Andrew Paul 3-yard run (Garrison Rippa kick), 9:58. Gamecocks 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 40 yards, 1:43. LIB – Julian Gray 72-yard pass from Ethan Vasko (Jay Billingsley kick), 4:09. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 95 yards, 2:47. Second quarter JVST – Cam Cook 11-yard run (Garrison Rippa kick), 12:35. Gamecocks 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 2:25. JVST – Garrison Rippa 50-yard field goal, 3:08. Gamecocks 17–7. Drive: 11 plays, 33 yards, 5:12. LIB – Jay Billingsley 35-yard field goal, 0:00. Gamecocks 17–10. Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 3:02. Third quarter JVST – Cam Cook 1-yard run (Garrison Rippa kick), 7:13. Gamecocks 24–10. Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 3:49. Fourth quarter LIB – Evan Dickens 52-yard run (Jay Billingsley kick), 12:47. Gamecocks 24–17. Drive: 3 plays, 72 yards, 1:28. JVST – Gavin Wimsatt 3-yard run (Garrison Rippa kick), 8:33. Gamecocks 31–17. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:14. LIB – Donte Lee Jr. 62-yard pass from Ethan Vasko (Brayden Beck kick), 7:16. Gamecocks 31–24. Drive: 3 plays, 82 yards, 1:11. JVST – Garrison Rippa 24-yard field goal, 4:08. Gamecocks 34–24. Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 3:08.

Statistics	LIB	JVST
First downs	20	18
Total yards	534	390
Rushing yards	37–199	50–338
Passing yards	335	52
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	19–29–1	6–12–0
Time of possession	29:36	30:24

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing	Ethan Vasko	19/29, 335 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Evan Dickens	13 carries, 114 yards, TD
	Receiving	Donte Lee Jr.	2 receptions, 74 yards, TD
Jacksonville State	Passing	Gavin Wimsatt	6/12, 52 yards
	Rushing	Cam Cook	29 carries, 195 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Caleb Coombs	2 receptions, 24 yards

at Georgia Southern

See also: 2025 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

Game Three – Jacksonville State Gamecocks (1–1) at Georgia Southern Eagles (0–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	14	10	10	0	34
Eagles	17	14	0	10	41

at Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA

• Date: Saturday September 13, 2025
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Danny Waugh (play-by-play), Jayson Foster (analyst) and Whitney Haworth (sideline)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	JVST	GASO
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Georgia Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Murray State (FCS)

See also: 2025 Murray State Racers football team

Game Four – Murray State Racers (FCS) (0–3) at Jacksonville State Gamecocks (1–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Racers (FCS)	0	0	0	0	0
Gamecocks	0	0	0	0	0

at AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, AL

• Date: Saturday September 20, 2025
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Eli Gold (play-by-play), Mickey Shadrix (analyst) and Taylor Korn (sideline)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MUR	JVST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Murray State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Southern Miss

See also: 2025 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

Game Four – Jacksonville State Gamecocks (2–2) at Southern Miss Golden Eagles (2–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	3	0	8	14	25
Golden Eagles	14	7	14	7	42

at M. M. Roberts Stadium • Hattiesburg, MS

• Date: Saturday September 27, 2025
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Baker (play-by-play) and Austin Davis (analyst)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	JVST	USM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Miss	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Sam Houston

See also: 2025 Sam Houston Bearkats football team

Game Six – Jacksonville State Gamecocks (2–3) at Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	0	0	0	0	0
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0

at Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX

• Date: Thursday October 9, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	JVST	SHSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Delaware

See also: 2025 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

Game Seven – Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (0–0) at Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fightin' Blue Hens	0	0	0	0	0
Gamecocks	0	0	0	0	0

at AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, AL

• Date: Wednesday October 15, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	DEL	JVST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Delaware	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Middle Tennessee

See also: 2025 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team

Game Eight – Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0–0) at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	0	0	0	0	0
Blue Raiders	0	0	0	0	0

at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN

• Date: Wednesday October 29, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	JVST	MTSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Middle Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at UTEP

See also: 2025 UTEP Miners football team

Game Nine – Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0–0) at UTEP Miners (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	0	0	0	0	0
Miners	0	0	0	0	0

at Sun Bowl • El Paso, TX

• Date: Saturday November 8, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	JVST	UTEP
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
UTEP	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Kennesaw State

See also: 2025 Kennesaw State Owls football team

Game Ten – Kennesaw State Owls (0–0) at Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	0	0	0	0	0
Gamecocks	0	0	0	0	0

at AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, AL

• Date: Saturday November 15, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	KENN	JVST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kennesaw State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at FIU

See also: 2025 FIU Panthers football team

Game Eleven – Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0–0) at FIU Panthers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	0	0	0	0	0
Panthers	0	0	0	0	0

at Pitbull Stadium • Miami, FL

• Date: Saturday November 22, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	JVST	FIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
FIU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Western Kentucky

See also: 2025 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

Game Twelve – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0–0) at Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0
Gamecocks	0	0	0	0	0

at AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, AL

• Date: Saturday November 29, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WKU	JVST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. Ashworth, Thomas; Rauterkus, Peter (December 20, 2024). "Auburn co-defensive coordinator Charles Kelly set to take Jacksonville State head coaching job". al.com. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
2. "Jacksonville State Football Transfer Portal". ON3.
3. "Jacksonville State Gamecocks 2025 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.
4. "Gamecocks Add 23 to Class of 2025". jaxstatesports. February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
5. "Jax State Names Charles Kelly as Head Football Coach". jaxstatesports. December 21, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
6. "Clint Trickett Named Offensive Coordinator". jaxstatesports. December 22, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
7. "Davis Added to Jax State Defensive Staff". jaxstatesports. January 2, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
8. "Thurmond Returns to Jax State Football". jaxstatesports. January 6, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
9. "Gamecocks Add Dawsey to Football Staff". jaxstatesports. January 6, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
10. "Gaines Named Defensive Backs Coach". jaxstatesports. January 7, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
11. "Housewright Added to Offensive Staff". jaxstatesports. January 7, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
12. "Garcia Named Defensive Line Coach". jaxstatesports. January 8, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
13. "Biffani to Serve as Outside Linebackers Coach and Recruiting Coordinator". jaxstatesports. January 8, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
14. "2025 Jacksonville State Football Schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved December 19, 2024.