MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama head coach Joey Jones announced Wednesday that three junior college transfers will join the football program this spring, and former UAB quarterback Cody Clements made his move to the Jaguars official the same day.
Tight end James Bynes, cornerback Quinton Lane and wide receiver Tyrone Williams will enroll at South Alabama in January. All three will have two years of eligibility remaining.
The Junior College Signees
James Bynes, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound tight end from Miami, played last season at Dodge City (Kan.) Community College. In 11 games he caught 30 passes for 269 yards, with a season-high eight catches for 54 yards against Butler (Kan.) Community College.
Quinton Lane, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound cornerback, led Itawamba (Miss.) Community College with eight pass breakups. He also recorded 25 total tackles and a fumble recovery.
Tyrone Williams, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound wide receiver, was a first-team All-MACJC selection as a sophomore at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He led the Bulldogs with 46 catches for 812 yards and 12 touchdowns as MGCCC went 8-2 and finished seventh in the final NJCAA poll. His touchdown total ranked 10th nationally, and he was among the top 20 in both receiving yards and yards per catch. He topped 100 receiving yards in three games, with a season high of 144 against Northeast Mississippi Community College. As a freshman in 2012, Williams caught 34 passes for 437 yards and five touchdowns for a team that finished sixth in the final NJCAA rankings.
Clements Joins From UAB
Clements, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound native of Whittier, Calif., will enroll in January as a senior with one season of eligibility remaining. He joined UAB after two seasons at Cerritos College.
This season at UAB, Clements completed 183 of 275 passes (66.5 percent) for 2,227 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions, averaging 202.5 passing yards per game. He also ran 91 times for 160 yards and four touchdowns.
Clements told AL.com that following Coach Vincent was the first reason he chose South Alabama.
“That was my main goal coming out of all this mess at UAB was to follow him if I could,” Clements told AL.com. “He’s a great coach and I love playing for him.”
“Then I got up there this past weekend and saw the facilities and housing and was able to hang out with the guys,” he said. “I knew that was a good spot for me to go and to finish out my career.”
Quarterback Competition
South Alabama will lose quarterback Brandon Bridge to graduation. Matt Floyd and Hunter Vaughn are expected to return at the position next season.
“I’m always excited about competition; that’s how you get the best out of yourself,” Clements told AL.com. “I’m definitely excited to go in there and compete and to win a championship over there.”
