Mississippi State Recruiting: Bulldogs Reaping Benefits of In-State Talent

With just over two weeks remaining before national signing day, Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen has batten down the state’s borders, keeping the majority of prize recruits for the Bulldogs and away from SEC rivals.

The trouble with having a No. 20-ranked recruiting class is that other head coaches want some of the same players to help round out their roster. Can MSU keep all 25 verbal commitments through signing day on February 1?

Of the top 25 players ranked in the state of Mississippi, MSU has 11 high school seniors ready to play their collegiate careers for Mullen, including:

No. 3 DT Quay Evans, 6’3”, 295 pounds, 4-star

No. 9 DT Nick James, 6’4”, 335 pounds, 3-star

No. 10 RB Xavier Grindle, 5’10”, 190 pounds, 3-star

No. 11 RB Deonte Evans, 5’11”, 198 pounds, 3-star

No. 12 S Adarrius Perkins, 6’2”, 185 pounds, 3-star

No. 14 LB Lelland Ducksworth, 6’1”, 215 pounds, 3-star

No. 16 OL Devon Desper, 6’4” 295 pounds, 3-star

No. 18 DB Cedric Jiles, 6’0”, 180 pounds, 3-star

No. 22 DE Nelson Adams, 6’5”, 260 pounds, 3-star

No. 23 ATH Adairius Barnes, 5’11”, 180 pounds, 3-star

No. 25 WR Frederick Brown, 6’1”, 166 pounds, 3-star

Quay Evans is ranked the 15th best defensive tackle in the nation.

Nick James is ranked the 40th best defensive tackle in the nation.

Running back Xavier Grindle is ranked 46th in the nation per his position.

The state of Mississippi has an excellent junior college system that routinely produces great players ready to make an impact on the Division 1-A level. This year, the prize MSU recruit for the Bulldogs is 5-star junior college transfer defensive end Denico Autry from East Mississippi Junior College.

Autry is considered a pass rushing specialist with offers from USC, Florida, Texas, Alabama, and Auburn. This is one recruit that will not get away from MSU as Autry has already signed his letter of intent to play for the Bulldogs.

Autry will be joined by two other junior college transfers that have already signed their letter of intent: 3-star offensive tackle Charles Siddoway (Eugene, Oregon) and 2-star offensive guard Dylan Holley from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

The top out-of-state talent heading to play for the Bulldogs is 4-star cornerback Will Redmond from East High School in Memphis, Tennessee. Redmond is listed at 6’0”, 176 pounds with a 4.41 40-yard dash. He finished the season as the No. 19 cornerback in the nation.

Rounding out the rest of Mississippi State’s recruiting class:

OT Justin Senior, 6’6”, 280 pounds, 3-star, Chatham, Virginia

DT Jordan Washington, 6’2”, 275 pounds, 3-star, Suwannee, Georgia

CB Kivon Coman, 6’1”, 190 pounds, 3-star, Florence, Alabama

RB Brandon Holloway, 5’9”, 165 pounds, 2-star, Tampa Bay, Florida

TE Gus Walley, 6’4”, 215, 2-star, Leakesville, Mississippi

DE Ryan Brown, 6’5”, 240 pounds, 3-star, Marrero, Louisiana

OG Cole Carter, 6’6”, 270 pounds, 3-star, Caledonia, Mississippi

DE Torrey Bell, 6’5”, 225 pounds, 2-star, River Ridge, Louisiana

S Quadry Antoine, 5’11”, 210 pounds, 3-star, Belle Chasse, Louisiana

P Devon Bell, 6’3”, 190 pounds, 3-star, Vicksburg, Mississippi