BOONEVILLE, Miss. - Fall semester classes at Northeast Mississippi Community College got underway on Monday, August 15. However, school has been in session for the gridiron Tigers for two weeks.
Northeast opened fall camp one week earlier than in the past after the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) aligned its football preseason calendar with the national start date.
The extra time on the practice field next to Tiger Stadium was put to good use according to Greg Davis, who is entering his eighth season as Northeast's head coach and 11th year overall on the coaching staff.
"I can't be more pleased," he said. "We've got a young group, but they're competing. It's a little bit of a grind, but they're starting to figure it out as more-and-more contact comes in. They're coming to work every day with a positive attitude."
The youth is more evident on the defensive side of the ball than on the offensive. The Tigers have to replace multiple NCAA Division I signees such as linebacker Reginald Hughes to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and safety Keyshawn Cobb to the University at Buffalo (N.Y.).
Willie Latham, III of Madison is the most experienced defender returning for Northeast as a third-year sophomore. He knows the Tigers need leaders and hopes to guide his peers by example.
"I want to bring up the other guys and just be a motivation to all of them every day at practice," said Latham, III. "It'll be a new defense this year, but we're working hard and we should be ready for the first game of the season."
Latham, III is the top returning tackler for Northeast with 51 stops during the previous campaign. He has tied a career-high with eight tackles in a single game three times, including most recently against Northwest Mississippi Community College last fall.
Carter Putt is another Tiger that was eager to get back into the swing of things. He was Northeast's first-string quarterback for a majority of the 2021 season, but missed a couple of games on the back end of the schedule due to an injury.
"I can't wait," Putt said. "Things are going real good with the team. We've got some really good pieces. Hopefully we can all just stay healthy and then go out there and put big numbers up on the scoreboard."
The Columbus native completed 54 percent of his attempts through the air for just under 1,100 yards as a second-year freshman. Putt also accounted for seven touchdowns between passing and rushing.
The Tigers kick off their new campaign on Thursday, September 1 by traveling to Hinds Community College. Northeast's home debut is one week later versus visiting Pearl River Community College.