ELLISVILLE – Jones County Junior College knows who they need to find when they need a big play.

Anthony Jackson, a second-team NJCAA preseason All-American from Laurel, is a go-to player on the JCJC offense. The talented sophomore, known as “Big Brown” to his coaches and teammates, enjoyed a stellar freshman campaign and will be a mainstay in the Bobcat offense.

“Anthony is a big play guy at the ‘X’ or split end position,” said JCJC offensive coordinator/quarterbacks/receivers coach Brad Griffin. “He has had a pretty good preseason. We have to stay on him a little bit, but he is doing well. And it helps that he has some experience. He’s pretty steady. We are trying to get him to not settle for just being ‘out there’ on the field.

“We want him to come out, work hard and get better every day.”

Jackson (6-5, 205) was a first-team All-MACJC performer in 2008. He had 28 receptions for 507 yards and five touchdowns, including a 99-yard scoring reception vs. Hinds.

Another returning receiver expected to make a big impression this season is Hanceville, Ala., sophomore Tristan Purifoy (6-0, 190). Purifoy had 22 catches for 185 yards and three touchdowns last year.

“Tristan has really, really improved,” said Griffin. “I think his work ethic is a lot better. I think some of that comes from experience and he is having a good preseason.”

Two more Laurel sophomores – Rafael Pollard (5-10, 175) and Clifton Pollock (6-3, 185) – will see plenty of playing time at the receiver positions.

“Pollard and Pollock are steady,” said Griffin. “They both have some tools, but work ethic sometimes becomes an issue with them. But they have progressed pretty well, too.”

Another experienced wideout with size will be Taylorsville sophomore Jamieon Keyes (6-5, 200).

“Jamieon has established himself as a steady, on-the-field player,” said Griffin. “He has been solid in the preseason.”

After those five players, inexperience becomes a factor for the remaining wideouts.

Matt Autry signed a scholarship as a defensive player, while Aerick Davis, Kylan Pollard and Slater Smith are all walk-ons.

Autry (6-4, 200) is from Norcross, Ga., Davis (5-9, 180) is from Leroy, Ala., Pollard (6-1, 175) is from Laurel and Smith (6-4, 200) is from Quitman. Griffin said they each have a chance to contribute to the team this fall.

“We actually signed Matt as a defensive player, but we moved him to receiver,” Griffin said. “He’s doing pretty good, but the experience factor is the thing. Some of the other guys are ahead of him as far as expectations and what is going on out there and that type of thing.

“Davis has had a pretty good preseason – he has kind of turned our heads a little bit. Kylan Pollard is doing really well, too. Slater is a recruited walk-on from Quitman. We actually recruited him as a potential punter, but we needed some numbers at receiver. He is a pretty decent player and a pretty good athlete. He has really adapted to that position well and he may have found him a home right there.”

The Bobcats had three other receiver signees from this past winter that did not turn out for this fall, including Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton and Quitman’s Patrick Hearn. Hamilton was a second-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Reds and signed to play professional baseball, while Hearn was offered a Division I scholarship by Alabama-Birmingham and ended up attending UAB. A third receiver signee failed to report to camp.

Still, Griffin remains pretty confident in the ability of his receiver corps.

“We have got a ways to go and we have thrown a lot at them mentally the first few days of practice,” he said. “We will start to scale back a bit and try to get better at a few specific things. But as long as we progress, we’ll be OK.

“We are athletic at receiver, so it could turn out to be a pretty good position for us. But we just need to find our best playmakers and most dependable guys out of the group and those are the ones that will be on the field. That is still to be determined.”

JCJC, ranked No. 14 in the NJCAA/JCfootball.com preseason poll, opens the season at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, at Itawamba Community College. The game can be heard on www.jcjc.edu and on WGDQ-FM, 93.1, with Lance Pittman calling the play-by-play and Mark Easley providing color commentary. The pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m.