Cowbell Corner

Were Bulldogs able to add commitment from blue chip quarterback?

Mississippi State falls short in pursuit of elite 2027 passer
Jacob Davis|
Valdosta, Georgia 4-star quarterback Jayce Johnson during spring practice
Valdosta, Georgia 4-star quarterback Jayce Johnson during spring practice | Jayce Johnson,

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Mississippi State Bulldogs

Mississippi State wasn’t able to close the deal on one of the top 2027 quarterback prospects in 4-star Jayce Johnson.  

The 6-foot-3, 210 pound passer chooses Texas A&M over the likes of Mississippi State, Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida State. 

He is currently ranked as the No. 61 overall, No. 3 among quarterbacks and No. 8 player out of Georgia, according to 247sports. 

He saw recruiting stock soar since mid-March as a borderline prospect to just outside of 5-star status. 

Johnson proved his blue chip status this offseason with an MVP level performance at the Rivals Combine in Atlanta in May. 

As a sophomore, Johnson completed over 67% of his pass attempts for 1,799 yards, 16 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

For the Bulldogs, The quarterback position under second year coach Jeff Lebby is just fine going into the 2025 season as the group is deeper than it has been in quite sometime.

Mississippi State football quarterback
Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen (2) at Mississippi State's spring game. | Justin Ford/Getty Images

Senior quarterback Blake Shapen is slated to start and will be probably backed up by Florida State transfer Luke Kromehoek. 

Coaches decided that taking just one quarterback enough and signed in-state 4-star quarterback Kamario Taylor from Macon, the No. 80 overall prospect in the country for 2025.

Taylor displayed dynamic dual threat ability as a senior, leading Noxubee Country team to the Mississippi 3A championship game behind a stat line of 2,908 passing yards, 40 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. 

He added another 1,205 yards on the ground with another 16 scores.

While the Bulldogs weren’t able to land another elite athlete to the quarterback room, the 2026 class has a commitment from 3-star passer Brodie McWhorter. 

Mississippi State has extended offers to nine quarterbacks in the 2027 class with seven of them currently uncommitted. 

Bulldogs Uncommitted QB Targets 

4-star Israel Abrams, 6-foot-4, 180 lbs., Montini Catholic (Lombard, Illi.)
4-star Malachi Zeigler, 6-foot-2, 209 lbs., Benton HS (Benton, La.)
4-star Peyton Houston, 5-foot-11, 198 lbs., Evangel Christian (Shreveport, La.)
4-star Trent Seaborn, 6-foot-1, 200 lbs., Thompson HS (Alabaster, Ala.)
3-star Derrick Baker, 6-foot-2, 220 lbs., Milton HS (Alpharetta, Ga.)
3-star Kael Snyder, 6-foot-2.5, 200 lbs., Perry HS (Gilbert, Ariz.)
N/a Andre Adams, 6-foot-2, 170 lbs., Antioch HS (Antioch, Tenn.)

Published
Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter. Follow on X: @ jacobscottdavis

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