Mississippi State preparing for massive recruiting weekend vs. No. 15 Tennessee

Jeff Lebby welcomes a wave of top recruits to Starkville as Mississippi State faces Tennessee in a pivotal SEC showdown.

Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby looks on before the game against the Alcorn State Braves at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Being a college football head coach has always been difficult with all the different responsibilities that come with it.

So, it’s no surprise anything that makes their jobs easier will be welcomed, like the NCAA shifting to just one transfer portal period instead of two.

“I do like the fact that it's going to go to one window,” Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said at his Monday press conference. He then added, “There's a lot going on inside of the high school recruiting right now. This weekend is going to be a huge weekend for us here.”

This 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧. This 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦. This 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.#HailState pic.twitter.com/12i66vP9bq

— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) September 24, 2025

If reports of the expected visitors for Mississippi State’s SEC-opening game against No. 15 Tennessee are accurate, the “huge” is an understatement.

The list of high school prospects reported by On3’s Paul Jones is massive (see below).

For those who are familiar with Dynasty mode in EA College Football 26, scheduling official recruiting visits is a thing.

But it’s capped at four (or eight if unlock a specific perk). Seeing a list like this really puts into perspective how much work is involved in being a head coach, considering this might be Mississippi State’s biggest game of the season and requires a lot of game planning.

 Expected visitors for No. 15 Tennessee at Mississippi State

C Sam Funches of Germantown HS (basketball, official visitor)

2027 ATH Chase Craft of Heidelberg HS (has Mississippi State offer)
2028 ATH Kamron Roberts of Jackson Prep
2027 ATH Zyquavion Tassin of Crestview (Fla.) HS
2026 ATH Jaiden Taylor of Noxubee County HS (Mississippi State commit)

2027 DB Brandon Allen of Westlake (Ga.) HS
2026 DB Kolby Barrett of Baylor (Tenn.) School (Mississippi State commit)
2026 DB Kris Brunson of Brookwood (Ga.) HS (Louisville commit)
2028 DB Kahmaree Crumity of Godby (Fla.) HS
2028 DB Jamarion Davis of Gadsden County (Fla.) HS
2027 DB Julian Elzey of Brookwood (Ga.) HS
2027 DB Samari Howard of St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) HS
2028 DB Caleb Ivey of Dutchtown (Ga.) HS
2027 DB Jaylen Jones of Blountstown (Fla.) HS
2026 DB Doug Nelson of Copiah-Lincoln CC
2026 DB Jax Pope of Buford (Ga.) HS (Mississippi State commit)
2027 DB Bryant Robinson of Lone Star (Texas) HS
2028 DB Cyion Smith of Blountstown (Fla.) HS
2028 DB Jeisun Thompson of Battle Ground (Tenn.) Academy
2027 DB Jaiwon Williams of Mendenhall HS (has Mississippi State offer)

2027 DL Elijah Cox of Westlake (Ga.) HS
2028 DL Merrick Ham of Marietta (Ga.) HS
2027 DL Avrian Pauley of McGill-Toolen (Ala.) HS
2026 DL Marshall Smith Jr. of Collierville (Tenn.) HS (Memphis commit)
2026 DL Davon Young of Theodore (Ala.) HS (Mississippi State commit)

2027 JACK Madaylan McKenzie of Heidelberg HS
2026 JACK Micah Nickerson of South Pike HS (Mississippi State commit)
2026 JACK Dre Quinn 2026 Buford (Ga.) HS (Clemson commit)
2027 JACK Gideon Taiwo of Lovejoy (Ga.) HS

2026 K Hayden Chambers of Fort Payne (Ala.) HS (Mississippi State commit)

2027 LB Gregory Batson Jr of Lee County (Ga.) HS
2027 LB Devontray Brewer of Tupelo HS (has Mississippi State offer)
2028 LB Kaiden Buchanan of Tupelo HS (has Mississippi State offer)
2026 LB Jaden Bush of Theodore (Ala.) HS (Arkansas commit)
2026 LB Archie Chambers of Copiah-Lincoln CC
2027 LB Kevin Davis of Thompson (Ala.) HS
2027 LB Ellis McGaskin of Williamson (Ala.) HS
2027 LB Telly Simmons of Hueytown (Ala.) HS
2028 LB Travion Washington of Brandon HS (has Mississippi State offer)

2028 OL Geraci Carson of Lanier HS
2026 OL Bryson Cooley of West Jones HS (LSU commit)
2026 OL Charles Humphrey Jr of Anderson County (Tenn.) HS (Mississippi State commit)
2026 OL Johnnie Jones of Venice (Fla.) HS (official visit)
2027 OL Antonio Keefer of Southwind (Tenn.) HS (has Mississippi State offer)
2026 OL Jarmaine Mitchell of Copiah-Lincoln CC (Mississippi State commit)
2026 OL Jayden Ross of Ocean Springs HS (Mississippi State commit)
2026 OL Dylan Steen of St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) HS (Mississippi State commit)
2026 OL Dalton Toothman of Vancleave HS (Mississippi State commit)

2027 P Gunnar Gillentine of Petal HS (Mississippi State commit)

2027 QB Andre Adams of Antioch (Tenn.) HS
2029 QB JD Gillum of Anderson County (Tenn.) HS
2028 QB Jace Grass of Daniel (S.C.) HS
2028 QB Gavin Hampton of Riverdale (Tenn.) HS

2027 RB Christian Alexander of Rosa Fort HS
2026 RB Cooper Crosby of Gulfport HS
2026 RB Jaeden Hill of Tupelo HS (Mississippi State commit)
2027 RB Tyson Robinson of Brandon HS (has Mississippi State offer)

2027 TE Carter Blackwell of Lee County (Ga.) HS
2026 TE Zayion Cotton of Grenada HS (Mississippi State commit)
2027 TE Mason Hall of Oconee County (Ga.) HS
2027 TE Joshua Pettigrew of Houston County (Ga.) HS

2027 WR Jaylan Ash of Destrehan (La.) HS
2028 WR Maximus Curry of Battle Ground (Tenn.) Academy
2027 WR Jamir Dean of Alcoa (Tenn.) HS
2027 WR Curtis Ellis of Blountstown (Fla.) HS
2027 WR Javarious Griffin Jr. of Cleveland Central HS (has Mississippi State offer)
2027 WR Tra’Von Hall of Central-Tuscaloosa (Ala.) HS (has Mississippi State offer)
2028 WR De’Aries Holland of Whites Creek (Tenn.) HS
2027 WR Sheldon Isaac of McComb HS (has Mississippi State offer)
2028 WR Gionni Lewis of Washington (Fla.) HS
2027 WR Tootie Lindsey of West Jones HS
2027 WR Darion Moseley of Thompson (Ala.) HS
2029 WR Maddox Porter of Battle Ground (Tenn.) Academy
2028 WR Seven Rashad of Buford (Ga.) HS (has Mississippi State offer)