The Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, UAB Blazers, Jacksonville State Gamecocks, Troy Trojans, South Alabama Jaguars, North Alabama Lions, Alabama A&M Bulldogs, and Alabama State Hornets may all soon have an extra pipeline to recruit talent from.
Per AL.com's Creg Stephenson, "Junior college football could be returning to Alabama following the passage last week of House Joint Resolution 17 by the state legislature. The bi-partisan resolution, signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey, will create the Alabama Community College Football Study Commission. The commission — which includes several members of the Alabama House and Senate, as well as representative of the ACCC, along with coaches, athletics directors and/or athletic department staffers from the high school and four-year levels — will meet for the first time later this spring and issue a formal report by Nov. 1."
HJR-17 notes that football serves as a “major driver of community engagement, school spirit, and economic activity across the state" and provides “additional pathways for student-athletes to pursue higher education, develop leadership and teamwork skills, and potentially advance to four-year institutions or professional opportunities.”
That's strong language for a state with indelible ties to football. Since Alabama is one of several southern states that have passed NIL laws that prevent NIL/rev-share payments to players from being taxed, it's fair to assume the ball is firmly in motion towards finalizing JUCO's return to the Yellowhammer State.
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JUCO football programs may not benefit the colleges they return to
The Tuscaloosa Patch's Ryan Phillips looked deeper into the issue and found a few startling details about JUCO football programs in Mississippi.
Per Phillips, "It’s prohibitively expensive to equip, outfit, feed, transport and facilitate teams of that size. It drains resources from schools when it fails to turn a profit ... (East Mississippi Community College) is probably one of the few that can make it financially but there are a whole bunch of others who barely make squat at the gate and can’t cover expenses."
It'll be interesting to see which schools in the state do the best in a world of JUCO football. Calhoun Community College and Jefferson State Community College figure to both be in the mix due to existing funding.
Let's hope there's enough to sustain a competitive league. And let's hope universities in the state will be better off for having more local talent to recruit as more kids are given the chance to realize their football dreams.