Johnson C. Smith opens football camp with new faces, big hopes
Johnson C. Smith is motivated for another football season.
The historically Black university near uptown Charlotte opened its 2025 football camp this week, riding a wave of optimism after a historic season that saw the Golden Bulls make program-defining strides in both the NCAA Division II ranks and in their conference.
Picked to finish second of 11 schools in the preseason Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association poll, JCSU head coach Maurice Flowers welcomed nearly 140 players Tuesday to the university’s Truist Auditorium inside its new science building. The veteran coach is excited about both a talented class of newcomers and seasoned returners determined to build on last year’s success.
The spirit and culture at JCSU have been key to keeping the team’s core together amid college football’s turbulent transfer portal era. Flowers credits his coaching staff, noting their transparency and communication about expectations.
“Brevin Caldwell, after spring practices, he asked for a meeting with me one-on-one, so I prepared my coaching staff that Brevin Caldwell is probably getting ready to get in the transfer portal,” Flowers said. “He’s a Division I football player. ... I pushed the meeting off for a couple of days to prepare myself for the news I was preparing to get.
“As we sat down, Brevin Caldwell — who’s a 3.9 GPA, chemistry major with a biology minor — looks me in the eye, and he says, ‘Coach, I just want to know, do you think I might have what it takes to be an NFL prospect?’ Of course he does. We’ve had several NFL teams come by and want information on Brevin, watch film and things like that. I’m just proud of the young man he is and what he means to the program. Those are the types of young men we have in our program, and I’m just glad to be the leader of it.”
Experienced Durham takes over at quarterback
Caldwell has a new face throwing to him — but the Golden Bulls’ quarterback is very familiar to their coach.
Kelvin Durham takes the reins behind center after last year’s starter, Darius Ocean, landed at Benedict College in Columbia. The veteran 6-foot-3, 205-pound Homestead, Florida, native spent five seasons at Fort Valley State University, where Flowers previously coached.
JCSU’s quarterbacks coach, Tyrell Jackson, had been Flowers’ starter at Fort Valley, and Durham was one of the first prospects recruited out of high school. When Flowers took the Golden Bulls’ job in 2022, Durham felt he would continue to back up Jackson at Irwin Belk Complex and initially opted to stay in Georgia. He threw for 2,096 passing yards and 23 touchdowns as a redshirt junior last fall — and now comes to JCSU more mature and ready to start.
“We left a boy, but (Durham) comes back to us as a young man,” Flowers said. “This is not the same guy I recruited when he was in high school. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s smart — he’s a dual threat. He can run, he can throw, but the thing where I’ve been most impressed with Kelvin since he’s been with us in January is his leadership. He really galvanizes the troops. He’s not timid about letting his voice be heard. And that’s what you need from a quarterback.
“His favorite quarterback is Lamar Jackson. He’s going to bring a different element, a whole different vibe and different athleticism that the defense is going to have to prepare for.”
Return of core veterans
Flowers pointed to key returning veterans who have anchored the Bulls’ transformation.
Caldwell, whom Flowers calls a “Day 1 guy,” enters camp as one of their senior leaders on offense. The wide receiver earned preseason All-CIAA honors.
At running back, Kamarro Edmonds returns after an electrifying campaign in which he led the Golden Bulls with 56.9 rushing yards per game, joined by transfer Avante George and a healthy Deandre “Biggie” Proctor, a fast 6-foot-3 wide receiver poised for a breakout after redshirting.
Defensive end Jalen Alexander, another Charlotte product from South Meck, brings similar leadership to the other side of the football. Four-year starter TJ Taybron is expected to be a major force at safety, while hard-hitting transfer safety Tynan Tucker has earned praise for his growth on and off the field.
Making the most of the portal — and homegrown talent
Flowers’ roster-building strategy has emphasized both recruiting out of high school and through the transfer portal.
This year’s 34-member recruiting class is widely considered the program’s deepest in recent memory, with most true freshmen expected to develop behind established upperclassmen.
Quavaris Crouch, the high-profile transfer and former five-star recruit, returns to his original position at linebacker. The standout from Harding University High in Charlotte had previously played running back for Tennessee, Michigan State and JCSU.
Flowers anticipates a big year from linebacker Vincent Hill, who earned all-conference honors at Tuskegee University in Alabama, as well as fellow Tuskegee transfers: offensive lineman Brenden Arrington and wide receiver Reggie Brigman.
Defensive tradition continues
Flowers credited the Golden Bulls’ recent surge to defensive excellence.
JCSU finished with the No. 1 defense in points allowed per game among Division II schools in 2023, before the defense ranked sixth nationally last year.
Graduate transfer Rontay Dunbar, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native who played at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, brings all-conference experience at cornerback. Junior college transfer Darion Johnson — an Indiana native coming from the Chicago suburbs’ College of DuPage — adds size and championship experience to the defensive line.
“We are growing the brand,” Flowers said. “You can see we’re getting a sprinkle from some different areas that normally aren’t part of our recruiting plan. We love it. It’s great for our university because Johnson C. Smith University has a lot to offer, some great academic programs. And I love to say about our president — she’s an alumna, president Valerie Kinloch — she has more degrees than a thermometer.
“Higher education and getting a degree at JCSU is tops on her list, and it’s tops on our list.”
Looking ahead: Marquee matchups and Homecoming
Johnson C. Smith kicks off its season with a high-profile matchup, traveling to historic Harvard Stadium to face Morehouse College.
One of the most anticipated events on campus is Homecoming, held Sept. 27 against Bluefield State. “I apologize again to our alumni for having a Homecoming game that is in the month of September,” Flowers said, “but it couldn’t be helped because of the scheduling and losing a school that is no longer playing football.”
The Golden Bulls face a rugged CIAA conference schedule, with tough road games at both Virginia State and Virginia Union — last year’s title-game participants. JCSU closes the regular season at home in a rivalry matchup against Livingstone College — or, as Flowers puts it: “our rival, the team from Salisbury.”
With new faces, familiar leaders and a challenging schedule, JCSU — a program where, Flowers says, nothing is given, and everything is earned — is ready to prove itself all over again.
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 2:26 PM.
