By MIKE MONTFORT

Nine Navarro football players earned offers this spring from university programs, raising the 2021-22 count to 21 advancing to compete at the next level..

Navarro's spring departures included NJCAA All-America kicker Alexis Lopez (East Central), wide receivers Louis Moore (Indiana) and Zavion Taylor (Indiana State), quarterbacks Jack Turner (Louisiana Tech) and Zy Gravitt (Texas A&M-Kingsville), offensive lineman Phillip Houston (Florida International), defensive lineman Mike Sandjo (SMU), defensive back Preston Hodge (Liberty) and punter Ryan Shamburger (Minnesota).

Lopez, who made 20-of-24 career field goals and accounted for 128 points, earned All-America honors in spring 2021. Moore and Taylor combined for 58 receptions, 849 yards and six touchdowns.  Turner, a back-up last season in a passing system that accounted for 3,365 yards, rallied NC from a three-touchdown deficit to beat Cisco.  Top-tackling defensive lineman Sandjo finished with 30 stops and 3.5 sacks in 10 games.  Shamburger averaged 39 yards during his two-year punting career.

Among the 12 outgoing mid-term transfers were seven players who earned all-conference honors in some capacity: wide receivers Jeremiah Aaron (West Virginia) and Karl Reynolds (Houston Baptist), defensive linemen Trent Ayers (North Texas) and R.J. Evans (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), cornerback C.J. Bosket (Central Arkansas), offensive linemen Elijah Bowser (Louisiana Tech), Jawaun Singletary (Grambling) and Quinterious Winn (William Jewell), quarterback Qua Gray (UT-Permian Basin), running back Isaiah Robinson (Incarnate Word), defensive back Martavian Jackson (Tabor) and linebacker Nate Maulsby (Hardin-Simmons).

New coach Ryan Taylor and his staff will be redesigning NC's offense with new personnel after the loss of a quarterback who finished fourth in career passing statistics, a running back that finished second all-time in rushing yardage and five receivers who made 24 or more catches. 

But that's only one part of the rebuild.

For each and every one of the offense's 503 yards and 40 points per game is a defense due an overhaul after allowing 519 yards and 38.5 points per game.

Taylor's first signing class at NC officislly counted 25 on Wednesday, Feb. 2, but he and his staff have been feverishly adding depth and numbers via transfer into the program.

KEY DATES:
THURSDAY, JULY 28 – SWJCFC Media Day, Garden Valley Golf Club, Lindale, Tx, 10 a.m.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27 – 2022 Season Opener at Hutchinson CC, Ks. Gowans Stadium, 1 p.m.