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Where the Stars of Last Chance U Ended Up for the 2018 Season

Most of your favorite characters from EMCC and Independence have moved on to other corners of the college football world.

Julia Poe

Where the Stars of Last Chance U Ended Up for the 2018 Season
Where the Stars of Last Chance U Ended Up for the 2018 Season /

The much-anticipated return of Netflix’s Last Chance U is finally here, and the third season of the Emmy-nominated documentary series on junior college football takes a different turn, leaving behind the proven powerhouse of East Mississippi Community College, its loyal hometown of Scooba, Miss., and its cantankerous head coach, Buddy Stephens. Now, the cameras are trained on Independence Community College, a program looking to revive its luck after 20 straight losing seasons in southeastern Kansas.

Season 3 promises all of the same themes that kept viewers hooked through the first two seasons—a compelling head coach (Jason Brown), troubled and temperamental young athletes and even a professor, LaTonya Pinkard, who looks poised to fill EMCC guidance counselor’s Brittany Wagner’s beloved role as the heart of the program.

As you dig into the latest season, here’s a roundup of how several fan favorites from the first two seasons have fared since the show left Scooba, and a preview of this season's future stars.

Season 1

Quarterback John Franklin III, who transferred to EMCC after riding the bench at Florida State, spent most of his time in Scooba as a Wyatt Roberts’s backup. He transferred to Auburn, where he played backup for a year before transferring to Florida Atlantic as a wide receiver in 2017. He went undrafted this year, but signed as a cornerback with the Chicago Bears in May.

Quarterback Wyatt Roberts, who won over the audience as a small-town boy trying to live out his dream of playing big-time football, left EMCC to attend Mississippi State as a student. He walked onto the scout team briefly, then left to finish his college degree online. He got married in December and currently works at a steel mill in Columbus, Miss., happily removed from the spotlight.

Running back D.J. Law signed with the newly reinstated UAB team but spent 2016 (during which the team did not play) due to a knee injury. Law’s academic issues—which played a central part in his storyline in Season 1—caused him to leave the UAB program before the 2017 season.

Defensive back C.J. Reavis starred at EMCC after being released from Virginia Tech for an undisclosed student conduct violation. Reavis went on to play at Marshall for two years, tallying 132 tackles and an interception despite suffering an injury as a junior. In May, he was signed by the Jaguars as an undrafted rookie free agent.

Defensive lineman Ronald Ollie, the lovable player who was in the middle of some of the series’s most memorable moments, transferred to Nicholls State in 2016 and played one season, logging 41 tackles, two sacks and a touchdown. He left after his first season to pursue an FBS offer, but will return to Nicholls for his final season of eligibility.

Defensive lineman Marcel Andry went with Ollie to Nicholls State where he played two seasons, recording 49 tackles, 5.5 sacks and eight tackles for a loss. This summer he tweeted that he intends to end his playing career and go into coaching.

Season 2

Quarterback De'Andre Johnson, who landed at EMCC after he was expelled from Florida State for punching a woman at a bar, spent one season in Scooba and headed to play for Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic. Johnson spent most of last season on the sidelines and battled a complication with blood clots in his arm. He is now vying for the starting position as a junior.

Quarterback Vijay Miller backed up Johnson at EMCC. Now, he’s throwing a different kind of ball, playing in the San Diego Padres’ minor league system after being selected in the 14th round of the 2017 MLB draft. In his first 20 games of minor league ball, he recorded a 4.24 ERA.

Running back Isaiah Wright, who backed up Law in 2015 and saw his 2016 campaign hampered by injuries and fumble issues, signed with West Georgia but left the school in the spring of 2017. Last September, he was arrested and charged for criminal homicide in a stabbing death in Tennessee along with his older brother Camion Patrick and two other men. The charges were dropped against Patrick, while Wright continues to await trial.

Linebacker Dakota Allen was dismissed from Texas Tech after being charged with second-degree burglary along with two teammates in 2016, stealing electronics and seven firearms from a home in Lubbock. After standing out as a diligent leader at EMCC, Allen begged Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury to give him another shot, and he was allowed to return. As a junior, he led the team with 102 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions and will be looked to as a cornerstone of the Red Raiders’ defense in 2018.

Defensive lineman Chauncey Rivers lost his spot on Georgia’s team after three marijuana arrests in his first year with the team. After his season at EMCC, he signed with Mississippi State, but redshirted last season due to academic ineligibility. He will look to work into the Bulldogs’ rotation this fall.

Defensive lineman Tim Bonner left EMCC for Florida Atlantic along with Johnson. As a redshirt sophomore, Bonner picked up eight tackles and a sack, along with a spot on the team’s “Most Improved” list.

Defensive lineman Kamonte Carter came to EMCC after he was kicked off the Penn State team in 2016 due to team rule violations. Last year, he returned to his old conference as a redshirt sophomore to play for Pitt, picking up eight tackles (1.5 for a loss) and one fumble recovery over nine games. After the 2017 season, he transferred to nearby Duquesne.

Brittany Wagner, the beloved guidance counselor who served as a stand-in parent for many of the players, left EMCC after Season 2 to start her business, 10 Thousand Pencils, LLC., which provides guidance and support to young athletes.

Season 3

Quarterback Malik Henry was heralded as one of the top players in the country when he committed to Florida State, but he transferred to ICC after struggling to fit into the Florida State culture in the shadow of Deondre Francois. In the trailer, Henry is seen bitterly admitting that he didn’t want to end up in a program like Independence, adding, “I’m better than this.” In 2017, he threw 53.9% for 1383 yards and 10 touchdowns at Independence. He remains without a Division I offer.

Wide receiver Carlos Thompson started out at Texas Tech, where he finished with 116 yards on special teams as a return man. Now, the trailer says, he’s on his “last strike” after transferring to ICC. Thompson is shown during the trailer shrugging as he says, “They gave me multiple chances and I couldn’t get it right.” He caught 48 passes for 544 yards and three touchdowns at Independence in 2017 and, having used up the five years he is allotted to play Division I ball, signed with D-II Missouri Western State.

Running back Kingston Davis struggled with injuries and a lack of playing time at Michigan, where he only saw action in the 2016 season opener with two carries for 17 yards. He transferred to UAB after a rocky stint at Independence, in which he played in only seven games last season.

Running back Rakeem Boyd was a three-star recruit when he committed to Texas A&M, but he didn’t see any playing time due to academic issues when he was a freshman in 2016. He later transferred to Independence after leaving due to academic ineligibility, rushed for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns last season and committed to Arkansas in January.

Center Kerry Buckmaster earned the full Last Chance U profile treatment as a product of a trying upbringing whose only shot at college football rests in Independence. In April, he announced his decision to transfer to Division II Lindenwood University.

Defensive tackle Emmit Gooden led the team last season with 81 tackles and a sack, and he will play at Tennessee in the fall.

Linebacker Bobby Bruce, whose academic and behavioral struggles were closely documented in Season 3, was arrested for armed robbery in Palm Bay, Fla., this June and the season’s final episode noted that he was not expected to return to Independence this season. However, Bruce is back on campus and set to rejoin the team this fall, 

A few other notable players who got some screen time in Season 3 moved on to high-profile Division I programs: Wide receiver Calvin Jackson, one of Independence’s best playmakers, signed with Washington State in February, as did defensive back Chad Davis. Backup quarterback Brandon Bea transferred to Boise State as a walk-on. Offensive lineman Tramonda Moore signed with Oklahoma.

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Julia Poe
JULIA POE

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