Outside SI All-American's Top 25, here are positives & concerns for Mississippi State football's recruiting class
Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated All-American released its ranking of the country's Top 25 recruiting classes. Mississippi State was nowhere to be found on that list, but on Thursday, SIAA did recognize the Bulldogs as one of its classes of note outside the Top 25.
So as the calendar rolls on into mid-September, where exactly does Mississippi State stand with its current recruiting class? What are the positives? What are the concerns? Here's a quick breakdown:
QB/WR recruiting bodes well for future
Quarterback Sawyer Robertson is one of the country's best prospects and wide receiver Theodore Knox headlines a strong group of pass catchers that have committed to the Bulldogs. New MSU head coach Mike Leach's reputation with his Air Raid offense has a lot to do with attracting that kind of premier talent at quarterback and receiver to Starkville. Now if Leach can start to do offensively with the Bulldogs what he has done over the course of the rest of his career, it'd be no shock at all if MSU became a top destination for signal callers and receivers in the years to come if those players see they can rack up the numbers while wearing maroon and white.
O-line group has makings to be solid
The Bulldogs have three commitments on the offensive line with Makylan Pounders, Gabe Cavazos and Nick Jones. It'd probably be a stretch to say for certain that any of those three are sure things, but its a trio that absolutely has some promise. Pounders is one of Mississippi's top players. Cavazos' stock has been on the rise of late. Then there's Jones, out of the junior college ranks, who recently flipped from Southern Miss. It's very much a traditional Mississippi State-like class from an offensive line standpoint – not a lot of star power, but some potential. Here's the question though: Is the current coaching staff as good at coaching up offensive linemen as previous staffs have been? The Bulldogs have had lineman after lineman in recent seasons come to MSU as a mid-level prospect, only to grow and develop into strong, NFL-caliber players by the end of their careers. The current staff might can be just as successful at that, but they just haven't proven it in Starkville yet.
Work to do on defensive front
Tre'von Marshall is currently the only defensive lineman committed to Mississippi State in this year's class. The Bulldogs desperately need to find some more help along the defensive front. One major hindrance to that is that MSU's primary recruiting ground inside the state lines of Mississippi isn't exactly overflowing with premier defensive linemen in this year's recruiting cycle. SI All-American candidate Ty Cooper out of Louisville is widely considered the state's best defensive line prospect, but he remains uncommitted. Getting Cooper in the boat would be a good place to start for the Bulldogs to feel good about this year's D-line recruiting. MSU needs more help than just Cooper, but make no mistake about it, his decision seems to be a tipping point as to whether or not the Bulldogs can be satisfied with 2021's defensive line class.
More help on the way in the secondary?
The Bulldogs have four defensive backs already committed and its a solid group, but the unit has an opportunity to get stronger. At least two intriguing prospects – both SI All-American candidates – remain strongly on State's radar. There's former Bulldog pledge, safety Kadarius Calloway out of Philadelphia. He was committed to MSU for nine months before flipping to Alabama back in July. It's conceivable he could still end up in Starkville before all is said and done. Then there's George County cornerback M.J. Daniels. Daniels, a former Ole Miss commit, has Mississippi State in his list of four finalists he's deciding between. It does appear like it'll be a bit longer before Daniels reveals his plans though. According to a tweet from him on Wednesday, it'll be December before Daniels makes a final decision. If State can land either (or both) of Calloway and Daniels, that would seem to make for a pretty impressive defensive back class.
Here's a quick look at all of Mississippi State's 2021 commitments, as of September 10 (Click on SI All-American candidates for scouting report/highlights):
Quarterbacks:
Wide receivers:
- WR Theodore Knox - SI All-American Candidate
- WR Malik Nabers - SI All-American Candidate
- WR Brandon Buckhaulter - SI All-American Candidate
- WR Jacobi Moore
Running backs:
Offensive linemen:
- OL Makylan Pounders - SI All-American Candidate
- OL Gabe Cavazos
- OL Nick Jones
Defensive linemen:
- DL Tre'von Marshall
Linebackers:
- LB Navonteque Strong
- LB Timar Rogers
- LB Nic Mitchell
Defensive backs:
- CB Cortez Eatmon
- S Corey Ellington - SI All-American Candidate
- S Myzel Williams - SI All-American Candidate
- CB Brendan Toles
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