ELLISVILLE – It will be a case of the unknowns when Jones College opens the 2025 season this week at Mississippi Delta.
 
Tavares Johnson resigned as head coach of the Trojans in mid-July and Ernest T. Jones was named interim head coach a few days later.
 
Bobcat head coach Lytrel Pollard has no idea of what to expect. But he knows the Trojans cannot be taken lightly.
 
"Delta just changed coaches and we have no clue about what we are going to see," he said. "They will be talented. They beat us here two years ago. We need to go get a win. We need to do what we are supposed to do."
 
Johnson resigned after being on medical leave. When he returned, he was given a six-month contract and felt he should have been given a one-year contract because of his job description, according to published reports. Johnson returned to his old job as head coach at Northside High School in Shelby.
 
Jones was most recently secondary and special teams coach at Alabama A&M and was head coach at Alcorn State at one time.
 
The Bobcats will have several new faces as well, especially at quarterback.
 
Sophomore Cannon Crowder (Presbyterian Christian School) played in four games last year and completed 21-of-40 passes for 335 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Jevarion Glover (Amanda Elzy) was one of the state's top prep prospects last season. During his high school career Glover passed for 7,417 yards and 48 touchdowns and rushed for 4,216 yards and 36 scores.
 
Last year, Jones beat MDCC 41-9, but the Trojans prevailed over the Bobcats 36-33 in 2023.
 
Thursday's game will kick off at 7 p.m. at Jim Randall Stadium and will air on jcbobcats.com/watch with Mark Easley doing play-by-play and Chuck Robertson handling color commentary.
 
Next week, the Bobcats will have another long road trip, visiting Coahoma for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on Sept. 4.
 
The Trojans travel to No. 10 Mississippi Gulf Coast on Sept. 4.