Division 1 schools often look to the junior college (JUCO) ranks to fill their personnel gaps with impact players. JUCO transfer athletes are typically disciplined contributors on the field due to the level of accountability that they had to place on themselves in order to advance beyond the JUCO ranks. 💯
Because JUCO athletes are generally older than 4-year underclassmen, JUCO athletes typically bring a level of maturity to the Division 1 programs, although there is a lack of maturity in some instances. All things considered, going the JUCO route, if you do not receive an immediate scholarship offer, is a solid alternative in continuing your pursuit of playing collegiate athletics.
JUCO transfers can arrive and add value to their new team right away. JUCO transfers helped Auburn University win the BCS national title in 2011. QB Cam Newton transferred from Blinn College as a five-star quarterback in Texas. DL Nick Farley transferred in from Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi. As a result, Auburn had a dominating offense and defense, which helped them win the national title that year.
That said, few teams really load up on JUCO transfers – so it is important to do your research on the schools that do, and get in touch with those coaches as soon as possible. Due to the fact that some coaches want build long-term programs, it is important to understand where you can go to fit in right away.
Below is a list of schools and how many JUCO transfer they signed over a span of 4 years. (data provided by al.com)
The top-five signers of JUCOs: Kansas State (39 over four years), Memphis (35), UAB (34), Hawaii (31), Troy (29), New Mexico State (28).
The top-five conferences that sign JUCOs: Mountain West (17.2 per team over four years), Sun Belt (15.0), C-USA (14.8), Big 12 (13.8), Pac-12 (11.6). Here’s the breakdown of each school’s JUCO signees over a span of 4 years (2007-2011):
Air Force, 0
Akron, 11
Alabama, 5
Arizona State, 20
Arizona, 19
Arkansas State, 21
Arkansas, 8
Auburn, 10
Ball State, 1
Baylor, 15
Boise State, 4
Boston College, 1
Bowling Green, 7
Buffalo, 2
BYU, 10
California, 12
Central Michigan, 3
Cincinnati, 5
Clemson, 0
Colorado State, 10
Colorado, 8
Connecticut, 2
Duke, 1
East Carolina, 10
Eastern Michigan, 10
Florida Atlantic, 1
Florida International, 6
Florida State, 8
Florida, 4
Fresno State, 3
Georgia Tech, 0
Georgia, 6
Hawaii, 31
Houston, 11
Idaho, 17
Illinois, 4
Indiana, 5
Iowa State, 26
Iowa, 1
Kansas State, 39
Kansas, 11
Kent State, 4
Kentucky, 7
Louisiana Tech, 12
Louisiana-Lafayette, 12
Louisiana-Monroe, 16
Louisville, 24
LSU, 4
Marshall, 14
Maryland, 1
Memphis, 35
Miami (Ohio), 1
Miami, 2
Michigan State, 2
Michigan, 1
Middle Tennessee, 18
Minnesota, 16
Mississippi State, 17
Missouri, 11
Nebraska, 14
Nevada, 22
New Mexico State, 28
New Mexico, 17
North Carolina State, 7
North Carolina, 3
North Texas, 26
Northern Illinois, 12
Northwestern, 0
Ohio State, 0
Ohio, 11
Oklahoma State, 17
Oklahoma, 8
Ole Miss, 15
Oregon State, 15
Oregon, 17
Penn State, 2
Pittsburgh, 4
Purdue, 5
Rice, 1
Rutgers, 0
San Diego State, 10
San Jose State, 18
SMU, 9
South Carolina, 10
South Florida, 15
Southern Miss, 24
Stanford, 0
Syracuse, 9
TCU, 5
Temple, 9
Tennessee, 10
Texas A&M, 4
Texas Tech, 12
Texas, 0
Toledo, 8
Troy, 29
Tulane, 0
Tulsa, 22
UAB, 34
UCF, 4
UCLA, 6
UNLV, 13
USC, 3
Utah State, 20
Utah, 22
UTEP, 13
Vanderbilt, 1
Virginia Tech, 0
Virginia, 0
Wake Forest, 0
Washington State, 16
Washington, 8
West Virginia, 12
Western Kentucky, 6
Western Michigan, 8
Wisconsin, 1
Wyoming, 12
