Cowbell Corner

Bulldogs gain commitment from 2027 5-star special team prospect

Mississippi State lands highly regarded in-state kicker following Top Dawg Camp

Jacob Davis

Mississippi State Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium.
Mississippi State Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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STARKVILLE, Miss. — While Monday started off dreadful with its top commit Emanuel Turner backing off his pledge, Mississippi State received some good news to end it. 

In-state kicker Gunnar Gillentine has committed to the Bulldogs just one day after receiving an offer following his performance at the Top Dawg Camp.

The 5-star kicking prospect is the No. 1 punter in the country, according to Kohl’s Professional Camp rankings.

Gillentine averaged 44.2 yards a punt and put 32 of his 51 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. He also spends time as the holder for Petal’s special team unit. 

His performance as a sophomore earned him first team Maxpreps All-American, first team all-Kohls and first team all district. 

His strong leg earned him a score of 118 at the Texas Spring Showcase which led to interest from programs around the country going into the summer. 

Gillentine had a dominant performance at the 2025 Texas Spring Showcase. His hand to toes were in the 1.2-1.3 second range.
He is compact with his steps and creates excellent consistency with his contact. He moves well in the roll-out portion of punting and scored 18 points.

His overall score for punts at camp was 117.96 points. He loves to punt and is Power 4 punter right now.
Gillentine had another impressive showing at the 2025 Kohl's Underclassman Challenge. He had a combined score of 107.35 in the two punt charting sessions. He turns the ball over with ease.

Gillentine had an impressive showing at the 2024 Kohls Texas Winter Showcase. He is an exciting young prospect whose coordination and technique are advanced for his age.
His stepping pattern and drop are consistent and he generates spirals consistently. He impressed in the charting by scoring 106.86 points and he turned over nearly every punt. He moved well in space and produced an excellent rollout score of 14 points as well.

He has established himself as one of the premier punters in the country for his class.

- Khols Scouting Report

The Bulldogs finished No. 23 nationally with 43-of-60 kickoffs placed for touchbacks during the 2024 season.

Despite its 2-10 record and struggles on each side of the football in year one under coach Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State only punted 44 times for an average of 44.8 yards per kick which ranked No. 20 nationally.

Gillentine is Mississippi State’s second commitment for the class of 2027 along with 4-star safety Kennedy Green from Douglasville, Georgia. 

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter. Follow on X: @ jacobscottdavis