Last Chance U is an American documentary television series that is produced by and premiered on Netflix. The six-episode first season explores the football program at East Mississippi Community College, which features several collegiate athletes that have had trouble in their lives and struggled with finding structure. The players are then required to perform at the junior college (JUCO) level, under the stewardship of coach Buddy Stephens, in order to prove themselves and return to Division I.
The series' second season returned to Mississippi, but transitioned to Independence Community College in Kansas for the show's third season, which premiered on July 21, 2018. This was followed by a return to Independence for the fourth season; it debuted on July 19, 2019. The final season took place at Laney College in Oakland, California and premiered on July 28, 2020. In 2020, it was announced that a scripted drama based on the first two seasons would be produced by and star Courteney Cox.
Synopsis The first two seasons focus on all aspects of the football program at East Mississippi Community College, one of the most successful JUCO programs in the country. Major themes include the academic struggles of the players – some of whom have come from severely disadvantaged backgrounds. This is set against an overall redemption and coming-of-age “last chance” theme for the group of men struggling to find their place. Team academic advisor Brittany Wagner is featured prominently as she is tasked with getting all team members to graduate on time. Head coach Buddy Stephens' struggles with controlling his temper is also a major theme, which is often juxtaposed with his devout Christian faith that he attempts to impart on the team.
Season 1 The crew followed the EMCC Lions during their 2015 season as they attempted to capture their fourth JUCO national title. While the team appeared dominant for much of the year, their season was derailed after a brawl broke out during their game with Mississippi Delta. EMCC was disqualified from the state playoffs and a potential berth to the national championship game.
Ranking: NJCAA released prior to game.
Season 2 Netflix returned to Scooba to follow their 2016 season. Once again holding national championship aspirations, the team faced a major hurdle in that only 32 of their players were eligible for their opening game with Jones County Junior College due to suspensions related to the previous season's brawl. EMCC lost that game, 27–25, their first season-opening loss since 2010. The Lions would go on to win the rest of their games, but were left out of the national championship game when they finished the season ranked No. 3 in the polls.
Ranking: NJCAA released prior to game.
Season 3 Despite being invited back to EMCC for a third season, producers decided to move the show to Independence Community College of Kansas. The new location is different in that ICC has historically had much lower expectations than EMCC; in 2016, it ended the season 5–4, its first winning season in ten years. The ICC Pirates had a very successful recruiting campaign for the 2017 season, landing many acclaimed players who began at NCAA Division I schools.
Ranking: NJCAA released prior to game.
Season 4 The fourth season continues in Independence, where the team fails to live up to high preseason expectations, finishing 2–8. After the season, Coach Brown is forced to resign for insensitive remarks. The season received the 2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Serialized Sports Documentary.
Ranking: NJCAA released prior to game.
Season 5 The fifth season takes place in Oakland, California at Laney College alongside football head coach John Beam. It premiered in July 2020.
Episodes Series overview
Season 1 (2016)
Season 2 (2017)
Season 3 (2018)
Season 4 (2019)
Season 5 (2020)
Reception The series was given a positive review by SB Nations Jason Kirk, who summed it up as a "carefully crafted drama with personalities to care about." Critical aggregator website Metacritic awarded the series a score of 79, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Featured staff EMCC Buddy Stephens (head coach) Brittany Wagner (academic advisor) Marcus Wood (offensive coordinator) Davern Williams (defensive line coach) Ed Holly (defensive coordinator, season 2) Clint Trickett (quarterbacks coach) Cade Wilkerson (running backs coach) Jordan Lesley (defensive coordinator, season 1)
ICC Jason Brown (head coach) Jason Martin (defensive coordinator, secondary coach) Kiyoshi Harris (offensive coordinator, offensive line coach) Frank Diaz (quarterback coach) Raechal Martin (head athletic trainer) Tammy Geldenhuys (athletic director) Latonya Pinkard (English teacher, associate professor) Mark Harris (Sociology Professor) Heather Mydosh (English teacher) Daniel Barwick (president) Jeff Carpenter (voice of the Pirates)
Laney John Beam (head coach, athletic director) Josh Ramos (defensive coordinator, assistant head coach) Jeff Haagenson (offensive coordinator) Kevin Evans (offensive line coach) Bryan Coughlan (defensive line coach) Vince Bordelon (outside linebackers coach/pass rush specialist) (Uncredited) Rob Crowley (quarterback coach) Adam Robinson (wide receivers coach) Derrick Gardner (cornerbacks coach) Rick Becker (athletic trainer)
Players +2015 EMCC Lions players (season 1) Player Position Transfer in Transfer out Notes John Franklin III QB Florida State Auburn Franklin was officially added to the Auburn football roster in 2016 and played sparingly in his first season on The Plains, recording one passing touchdown and two rushing touchdowns while backing up starter Sean White. In August 2017, he transferred to Florida Atlantic University as a wide receiver. After going undrafted in the 2018 NFL draft, Franklin signed with the Chicago Bears as a defensive back. He spent the 2018 season on the Bears' practice squad, and was finally waived in August 2019. In November, he was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad and was promoted to the active roster a month later, making his NFL debut in a Week 17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Wyatt Roberts— Mississippi State On the show, Roberts mentions that if big offers don't come in, he's going to be content to move on to Mississippi State, where he would attend as a student and not walk-on to the football team.True to his word, Roberts did not walk-on to Mississippi State. However, after a quarterback transferred out of the team, Head Coach Dan Mullen approached Wyatt, who then walked-on to the team. Dacorius (D. J.) Law RB UAB Law was officially admitted to UAB after final clearance was provided on August 30, 2016. Struggling with academics and an injured knee, he did not play for UAB and left the team in May 2017. Allenzae Staggers WR Southern Miss Staggers joined the Southern Miss football team after the culmination of his Junior year at EMCC. In his first season with the Golden Eagles, he led the team in receiving yards with 1165, and added 7 touchdowns, and was placed on the Biletnikoff Watch List He also had a team record 292 receiving yards in a single game. After the 2018 season Staggers was invited to the Washington Redskins' minicamp. He was waived on August 27. Ronald Ollie DT Nicholls State He played one year at Nicholls State and had 41 tackles, two sacks, and a touchdown. He then left, saying he wants to play at a higher level, but returned in early 2018. Ollie was invited to work out for the New Orleans Saints in preparation for the 2019 NFL season. Although undrafted, Ollie was invited for the Oakland Raiders rookie minicamp and signed with the team shortly after. He was cut during the pre-season. He was on the roster for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League for the 2020 season, before the 2020 CFL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Ollie was cut prior to the 2021 Toronto Argonauts season. Marcel Andry Andry played 10 games in his first season with the Colonels and had 17 tackles. Played all twelve games in his senior season while starting one. After running out of eligibility, Andry stayed at Nicholls State as a graduate assistant and later was promoted to defensive line coach. Andry would stay at Nicholls as a defensive line coach for 3 years before joining Holmes CC in 2021, reuniting him with EMCC coach Marcus Woods. Gary McCrae LB Louisville McCrae only appeared in two games at Louisville (against Charlotte and N.C. State), and did not register any stats. It wasn't much better for him in 2017, as he registered four tackles in limited playing time – most of it on special teams. He played two games in 2018 before injuring his shoulder against Indiana State, missing the rest of the season. He is listed as a grad student on Louisville's 2019 roster. James Davis OL UAB Isaiah Wright RB West Georgia Signed by Auburn in 2016, but never attended. Committed to West Georgia in 2017 and attended spring training but never played for them, and in August 2017 it was announced that he was leaving the team. On September 13, 2017, Wright was charged with criminal homicide connected to a fatal stabbing in Tennessee in July. C. J. Reavis S Virginia Tech Marshall After finishing his college career at Marshall, Reavis signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent and made the team's active roster during the 2018 season. He became the first player from the show to appear in an NFL game after his debut on December 2, 2018, against the Indianapolis Colts.