Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State Hosting Desert Edge Recruiting Wave in Late March

Mississippi State is preparing for a key recruiting stretch with multiple Desert Edge standouts and rising safety CJ Craig-Jones visiting Starkville.
Taylor Hodges|
Desert Edge Scorpions Yahzeen Zion (93) jumps over Marshawn Coleman (9) to get to the ball during a game against the Millennium Tigers at Desert Edge High School in Goodyear on Oct. 31, 2025.
Desert Edge Scorpions Yahzeen Zion (93) jumps over Marshawn Coleman (9) to get to the ball during a game against the Millennium Tigers at Desert Edge High School in Goodyear on Oct. 31, 2025. | Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Mississippi State Bulldogs

Mississippi State is gearing up for one of its more interesting late‑March recruiting windows, and it starts with a full crew from Desert Edge High School making the trip east together.

It’s not often you see an entire cluster of high‑end prospects from the same program lining up the same SEC swing, but that’s exactly what’s happening, according to Rivals' Brandon Huffman, with Yahzeen Zion, Jalanie George, Jaelyn Easterling‑Flores, and Nekhi Lambeth.

Zion, a 2027 three‑star defensive lineman, kicks things off this weekend with a stop at Oklahoma where he’ll link up with teammate and Sooners commit Mikyal Davis before diving into a month that’s going to feel like a tour of the SEC footprint.

By the end of March, he’ll have hit half a dozen league programs while also trying to squeeze in a trip to Arizona State and map out his official visits.

The real headline, though, is the group trip later in the month. From March 25-29, Zion will be joined by three of Desert Edge’s top 2028 prospects:

  • Jalanie George, the No. 1 edge rusher in the class
  • Jaelyn Easterling‑Flores, a rising safety
  • Nekhi Lambeth, a promising young corner

Together, they’ll roll through Georgia, Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and LSU on a five‑day stretch that gives each of those programs a rare chance to make an impression on an entire defensive nucleus from one of Arizona’s most talented teams.

George, who already holds national attention, has his eyes on adding even more stops, mentioning Texas A&M, Oregon, Alabama, Texas, and Florida as programs he hopes to see.

For Mississippi State, the timing works out well. The Bulldogs will get the Desert Edge group right as another fast‑rising defensive back is set to come through town.

That’s CJ Craig‑Jones, the Birmingham safety who has gone from under‑the‑radar to nationally recruited in a matter of weeks. His spring schedule has filled up quickly, and it now includes:

  • Vanderbilt — March 14
  • Mississippi State — March 24
  • Vanderbilt — March 26
  • Florida — March 28
  • South Carolina — April 4
  • Georgia — April 11
  • Georgia Tech — April 12

Craig‑Jones’ visit comes just one day before the Desert Edge group arrives, giving Mississippi State a rare back‑to‑back stretch of high‑priority defensive talent on campus. For a program trying to build momentum in the 2027 and 2028 cycles, that’s about as efficient as it gets

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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