Signing day primer: What to look for from Mississippi State on Wednesday

Recruiting is the lifeblood of a football program. It's where the foundation of the future is laid.

On Wednesday, Mississippi State will begin officially welcoming its latest crop of talent as the early signing period begins. The Bulldogs seem to be putting together a class that could threaten to enter some Top 25 rankings if all goes perfectly.

"We’ll see what happens but I think (it has been) good," MSU head coach Mike Leach said of how he feels about his staff's recruiting process headed into Wednesday. "The exciting thing about this is you kind of get a glimpse of putting together your team in the future. It’s definitely exciting. You know, you sit there, (and) your imagination goes wild on how great somebody’s going to be."

So what all do you need to know before the signatures start rolling in? Glad you asked.

Where do the Bulldogs stand heading in?

It depends on where you look. Sports Illustrated released its latest rankings of the country's Top 25 classes on Monday and as of now, MSU is on the outside of that bunch looking in.

Elsewhere the Bulldogs sit with the country's No. 34 class according to 247Sports and are ranked 38th in the nation by Rivals.

Those rankings are based on Mississippi State's 17 already-verbally-committed players. The overall team rankings could certainly improve if the Bulldogs hit on a few of their expected targets that haven't yet committed. Of course it could also fall if some that have committed flip in the final few hours before signing time. That much became evident Tuesday afternoon when the nation's top junior college linebacker and longtime MSU pledge Navonteque Strong de-committed from the Bulldogs.

Who all is committed?

Mississippi State has 17 verbal commitments currently. Of course anyone that follows recruiting with any frequency knows that verbal commitments are non-binding. Again, Strong exemplified that on Tuesday. Until pen is put to paper, nothing is official.

However here are the 17 guys that will be signing with MSU on Wednesday if they all keep their word. Also included are their recruiting rankings from 247Sports and Rivals, as well as their SI All-American candidate status. Video highlights are also available for some prospects.

QB Sawyer Robertson - Coronado (Texas) HS

Sports Illustrated All-American Candidate
247Sports - 4-star
Rivals - 4-star

WR Theodore Knox - The Woodlands (Texas) HS

Sports Illustrated All-American Candidate
247Sports - 4-star
Rivals - 4-star

WR Malik Nabers - Southside (Louisiana) HS

Sports Illustrated All-American Candidate
247Sports - 4-star
Rivals - 4-star

LB John Lewis - Germantown (Mississippi) HS

247Sports - 4-star
Rivals - 3-star

DB M.J. Daniels - George County (Mississippi) HS

Sports Illustrated All-American Candidate
247Sports - 4-star
Rivals - 3-star

WR Jacobi Moore - Harrison Central (Mississippi) HS

247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

LB DeShawn Page - East Mississippi CC

247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

WR Rodarius Thomas - Eufaula (Alabama) HS

247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

QB Daniel Greek - Liberty Christian (Texas) HS

Sports Illustrated All-American Candidate
247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

LB Timar Rogers - Deland (Florida) HS

247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

S Corey Ellington - Holmes County (Mississippi) HS

Sports Illustrated All-American Candidate
247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

OL Albert Reese - Clearwater (Florida) Academy International

247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

LB Nic Mitchell - Mandarin (Florida) HS

247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

OL Gabe Cavazos - Lake Cormorant (Mississippi) HS

247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

DL Tre'von Marshall - Locust Grove (Georgia) HS

247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

OL Carson Williams - Mississippi Gulf Coast CC

247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

OL Nick Williams - East Mississippi CC

247Sports - 3-star
Rivals - 3-star

Will any of those verbal commits possibly not sign with State?

Again, nothing is official until the line is signed, so theoretically any of the aforementioned 17 prospects could end up anywhere. Most seem incredibly solid. There are several guys that should be closely monitored though.

Defensive back M.J. Daniels is a coveted instate prospect that only a week or so ago said he had shut down his recruitment and was all Bulldog. However he has continued to be pursued heavily by Ole Miss, so that battle may go down to the wire.

Another name to watch is wide receiver Rodarius Thomas. Thomas flipped his verbal commitment to MSU from South Carolina earlier this month, but the Gamecocks haven't given up.

There could certainly be other surprises as well, of both the good and bad kind for MSU. In fact, when it comes to recruiting, you just never know period. To repeat, until a signature is put down, nothing can be said with absolute certainty.

Who besides the verbal commitments could join the class?

Sports Illustrated All-American candidate wide receiver Antonio Harmon out of Kosciusko (Mississippi) High is one probability. Sources have repeatedly told Cowbell Corner they expect the four-star standout to ink with the Bulldogs. Harmon plans to announce his final decision at 9 a.m. central on Wednesday.

Another SI All-American candidate – defensive lineman Ty Cooper out of Louisville (Mississippi) High – is another possibility, although that has been an ongoing recruiting battle and Cooper could possibly wait to sign with a school on the traditional national signing day in February.

Offensive lineman Austin Barber is another MSU target that might not pick a school to sign with until February. The Trinity Christian Academy (Florida) standout is actually slated to play in a state championship game on Wednesday and Barber told SI Director of Recruiting John Garcia earlier this month that Barber's ongoing high school season was why he might delay his signing.

Other names to watch include offensive lineman Canon Boone of Dickinson (Texas) High School. Boone is a Virginia Tech verbal commit but could end up as a Bulldog when all is said and done. Wide receiver/running back Simeon Price of West Florida High might also end up inking with MSU Wednesday. So, too, could Defensive back Jadarrius Perkins of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

Other names to keep up with either on Wednesday or in the days ahead include defensive end Deonte Anderson of Fort Meade (Florida) High School, defensive back Calvin Johnson II of French Camp (Mississippi) Academy and defensive back Da'Veawn Armstead of Central (La.) High School.

Also of note

A couple of players from other four-year colleges have already announced their plans to join MSU as transfers. Those are defensive lineman Randy Charlton from Central Florida and quarterback Jack Kristofek from Sam Houston State. Kristofek is expected to be a preferred walk-on.

Thank you for coming to Cowbell Corner for coverage of Mississippi State sports. Be sure to follow Cowbell Corner on Twitter (@SIBulldogs) by clicking here, and like it on Facebook by clicking here.

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