QB Griggs ready to compete at Southern Miss

It doesn't faze Itawamba Community CC quarterback Kwadra Griggs that when he gets to Southern Miss the Golden Eagles will likely still have record-setting senior Nick Mullens and rising senior Tyler Matthews atop the depth chart.

"Right now I'm going to go in there and compete," Griggs said Saturday after ICC's loss to Gulf Coast. "I'm ready to compete."

Griggs said he actually hopes to learn from Mullens, who is among the national leaders at his position after passing for 2,890 yards and 25 touchdowns through nine games.

"I know Nick has been playing for a while," Griggs said. "He can teach me the offense. I'm just ready to compete."

From one national leader to another. Griggs' 213.8 passing yards per game ranks 17th nationally in the NJCAA. His 18 passing touchdowns rank 13th.

"He's done a good job for us and we've won some games because of him," ICC coach Sean Cannon said. "I know they're real excited about having him down there."

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound quarterback committed to USM in June.

"When I went on my visit they showed me a lot of love," he said. "I just felt like I was at home."

Griggs is one of 15 commitments counting toward Southern Miss' 2016 signing class, including four other junior college players. USM also has a 6-foot-1, 200-pound freshman quarterback Jared Sparks committed.

The Greenwood native has kept up with Southern Miss' success and is excited to get to Hattiesburg.

"They've been beating the mess out of people," he said. "I like what they're doing and eager to be a part of their program."

Griggs proved to be a dangerous trigger man for ICC's offense but he admits he still has some maturing to do on the gridiron. In ICC's back-to-back games at Gulf Coast to close out the 2015 season he threw four interceptions, giving him nine on the season.

"I need to work on being patient," he said. "I can run well and I have a strong arm so I can throw the ball anywhere on the field, I just have to come up with more leadership."

In three years at Greenwood High, Griggs threw for 6,538 yards and 56 touchdowns with 30 interceptions. He was also more of a threat on the ground at GHS than he was at ICC, rushing for 370 yards and 14 touchdowns.

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 4:15 PM with the headline "QB Griggs ready to compete at Southern Miss ."