Hey y'all! Just hours away from national signing day, which will be the earliest it's ever been held for football recruiting. Right now, Mississippi State is expected to sign 24 players tomorrow (
https://mississippistate.rivals.com/commitments/football/2025), but the Bulldogs are pushing to add more to their 2025 class.
I wanted to share some insight from sources I've been compiling info from and will continue to do so. I'll add any information over the next 24-36 hours to this thread, so this will be the landing spot for anything new. I'll have standalone threads as well, but will keep this one going for updates. Here's where things stand as of 3:30 pm CT
*If you've followed this site for the past few months, you've noticed a constant has been four-star athlete Cameron Sparks. Since August, he zeroed in on two schools: Mississippi State and Florida State. Indiana also tried to get in, early in the fall, but it doesn't seem to have made a massive difference. Sparks also officially visited the Bulldogs in September, and the vibes were strong towards them in the weeks after.
In recent weeks, recruiting in general for Sparks has cooled. As has been mentioned here before, academics have been an issue for Sparks, which has scared a ton of teams off. I'm not putting down State in any way, shape or form, but the academic standards aren't as high and the Bulldogs staff is confident it can get him in. Florida State has been involved, but it's still unknown if he'd qualify there. I can tell you that our sources in the network tell us that Sparks won't be signing anywhere this week. Right now, he needs to get his academic situation in a better position, so he can sign in February. There's still a chance he'd have to go the JUCO route, so we'll see if State can land him. IF he's eligible, State is the overwhelming favorite. But again, JUCO isn't out of the question.
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**Speaking of JUCO, State has loaded up in this department and that looks like it will continue. There's multiple reasons for that. While the Bulldogs' collective, The Bulldog Initiative, is good, it can't compete with most of the powers that be in the SEC. JUCO players are cheaper, in terms of NIL money. And, as you all probably know, Mississippi is loaded when it comes to JUCO talent. Plus, Jeff Lebby and Coleman Hutzler (others as well) have a great relationship with a lot of JUCO coaches.
State had a pair of official visitors in this past weekend, offensive linemen Jakheem Shumpert and Matthew Lefeau. I already put a FutureCast in for Shumpert. I think Lefeau is trending towards the Bulldogs, but haven't been able to confirm that as well. Still, I've heard enough to put in a FutureCast as well. So, if all goes well with both of those two, they should be Bulldogs by the end of the week. It's not a definite both will decide tomorrow. But I haven't heard anything to tell me either is looking elsewhere.
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***The one big JUCO who has been trending down for State is three-star Tyeland Coleman. He visited State for the Missouri game and the staff was hopeful there. But over the past week or so, Florida State has really been trending upward. Coleman had originally planned to announce his decision last night but pushed it back. I think State, along with Illinois have him thinking over his decision. I have him as a FutureCast to the Seminoles, as sources have told me he simply wanted to talk with new defensive coordinator Tony White at FSU first. That talk seems to have gone well, but now I haven't heard when he's deciding. Still, I think it's only a matter of when he commits to the Noles, though State is trying to keep communication open there.
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****Though State, like most other programs, had some decommitments this fall, most have stayed put. The one that's been getting tugged a bit is four-star linebacker Tyler Lockhart. Ole Miss has made a run at him and got him to visit a couple of times this fall, including last weekend for the Egg Bowl. This is what our friend Adam Gorney posted this morning:
Tyler Lockhart will be one to watch in the closing hours. The four-star
Mississippi State linebacker commit has visited Ole Miss numerous times this season including for the Egg Bowl and the Rebels are working on flipping the Winona, Miss., standout.
So, we still expect him to sign with State, but also won't be surprised if the Rebels pull the flip. They've worked him for months now, though State has and continues to stay in contact. It always hurts to lose one to Ole Miss, but we'll see how it plays out.
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*****Lastly, the other name to watch right now is three-star safety Max Redmon, who's been committed to Florida State. He officially visited for the Mizzou game, but the Noles have more stability now with Tony White as DC. So, for the time being, I think he sticks with his FSU pledge. I've reached out to network sources, however, who told me "let me circle back there." So, there might be a little buzz. One to watch, anyway.
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Again, check back here for any more updates. This will be where I'll post anything I come across.
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