Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State Targets Long-Term Fix Up Front in Battle for Elite DL Recruit

Mississippi State is battling Vanderbilt for 2027 defensive lineman Jaderian Jones as the Bulldogs look to rebuild their identity in the trenches.
Taylor Hodges|
South Oak Cliff (Texas) defensive lineman Jaderian Jones with Mississippi State defensive line coach Ty Warren.
South Oak Cliff (Texas) defensive lineman Jaderian Jones with Mississippi State defensive line coach Ty Warren. | Jaderian Jones/X

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Mississippi State Bulldogs

Mississippi State fans don’t need a roster breakdown to know where the program has to get better.

The issues up front have been obvious, and for a school that once embraced the “D‑Line U” label, it’s a strange place to be.

But that’s the reality: if the Bulldogs want to climb out of the SEC basement, the trenches have to improve on both sides of the ball.

The portal can patch holes, and maybe this year’s haul will help steady things. Long term, though, the fix comes from winning real recruiting battles, the kind where you’re fighting other SEC programs for high‑end high school talent.

One of those battles is shaping up around Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff defensive lineman Jaderian Jones, a key piece on one of the best defenses in Texas last season and a state champion with plenty of momentum coming out of his junior year.

Two SEC programs, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, have positioned themselves early, and both are set to host Jones for official visits. Vanderbilt gets him May 28-31, and Mississippi State follows June 12-14. For now, those two are pacing the field.

“It’s neck and neck,” Jones said to Rivals of the two leading SEC contenders.

Vanderbilt has been pushing hard since the end of his junior season.

“Vandy is on me bad,” Jones said. “Coach (Jovan) Haye is a big reason why Vandy is a top school on my list. Vandy makes me feel like family.”

Mississippi State’s rise in this recruitment traces back to defensive line coach Ty Warren, who offered Jones shortly after arriving in Starkville. The two already had a strong relationship from Warren’s time at Rice, and that familiarity has carried over.

“Coach Ty Warren has been recruiting me for a really long time — since he was at Rice, so when he went to Mississippi State, the relationship was still there,” Jones said. “Coach Ty Warren sends kids to the draft.”

Jones is rated as the No. 59 defensive lineman in the 2027 class according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, and he sits inside the top 600 nationally.

For Mississippi State, he represents exactly the kind of long‑term recruiting win the program needs — the kind that helps rebuild the identity it once leaned on.

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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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