It’s late July, it’s hot enough to suffer heat stroke walking to your car in the morning, and football is that much closer. It only makes sense to talk about, of course, recruiting.
For those who have haven’t kept up since Signing Day, Mississippi State has nine verbal commitments for the class of 2012. That is expected to grow this weekend as MSU is hosting the Big Dawg Camp and there are rumors that five or more players may commit. Here is a look at the current list of Mississippi State’s commitments for the 2012 recruiting class.
Overall:When it comes to star-gazing, so far this class is quite "bleh." According to Mr. SEC's latest SEC Commitment Comparison (as of July 11), the Bulldogs ranked second to last in "Points Per Star" and then again in "Average Points Per Commit." To sum up, as of now, Vanderbilt has a better class than we do. Delightful!
There's plenty of time to make that up (and for Vanderbilt to start losing guys once begin the season 2-5). It's only July. Also, the Bulldogs just aren’t going to pull the 4- and 5-star guys from California and South Florida. And Mullen knows this. In his chat with The Clarion Ledger’s Brandon Marcello, Mullen expounded on his recruiting strategy of focusing on the recruit-heavy, 5-hour radius from Starkville and developing gems once they arrive on campus.
Marcello: Have you hit at a high rate the last two years in recruiting?
Mullen: It’s hard to say yet. Our first year? I feel we did. In my first year here with (defensive tackles) Fletcher Cox and Josh Boyd, (receiver) Chad Bumphis and (running back LaDarius) Perkins. A lot of those guys have panned out. (Cornerback) Jonathan Banks is a great recruiting story for what Mississippi State has. He had one offer, which was here. Everybody wasn’t rolling through East Webster High School to see him, you know? In that recruiting class, that’s where to me you have to be successful. You take that one. It’s easy to talk about them because this coming year of freshmen, we have to see how they develop.
Kudos to Marcello for the informative piece. If you haven’t, check it out.
And unlike last year, Mississippi , excuse me…OUR STATE, doesn’t have a lot of top-tier talent. After a handful of "headline" recruits, there is a noticeable drop off. With that in mind, expect Mullen to focus more on our borders as he tries to dip his hand in Louisiana and Alabama . The Tigers and Crimson Tide can’t sign them all.
Hat tip Rivals and Scout for measurables, etc. Here is a brief run down of commits, in alphabetical order:
Quadry Antonie Safety 5-11, 210
Belle Chasse (High), La.
Rivals - *** Scout - ***
Wow. Looking at his highlight video, I’m excited about Antonie's potential. He's quick to the ball and bulldozes over receivers. His "head hunting" will need to be corralled in a bit but of the Bulldogs' current commits, Antonie shows the most promise. Also, he can also do this.
Nelson Adams Defensive tackle 6-4, 260
Rivals - *** Scout - **
Adams, who is the brother of
Devon
Rivals - NR Scout - NR
You know, I got nothing. My brother says he can kick the shit out of the ball. That’s good enough for me.
Torrey Bell Defensive End 6-5, 225
River Ridge (John Curtis Christian), La.
Rivals - ** Scout - **
I'm excited about this guy. Bell, who plays at national power John Curtis, runs smooth and has a high motor. He should start by junior year. Per his high school coach J.T. Curtis: "I think his upside is just tremendous. He has all the physical tools you want in a rush end and outside linebacker. He starts for us in basketball. He's a true 6'5 and should end up playing at 250 or 260 in college. He has tremendous physical potential."
Ryan Brown Defensive End 6-5, 240
Marrero (Archbishop Shaw),
Rivals - *** Scout - ***
Brown originally committed to USF but flipped it MSU in mid-June. He sports a decent offer list and recorded 51 stops last fall, with 9 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. With Brown’s announcement, he became the third
Cole Carter Offensive lineman 6-6, 270
Rivals - NR Scout - NR
Carter, who hails from the same school as former Bulldog lineman Derek Sherrod, has known since January that he wants to sign with the Bulldogs but he made it public this summer. Carter could develop into a solid offensive tackle once his career for the Bulldogs closes.
Rivals - ** Scout - ***
As Madison Central alum myself, I’m thrilled the Bulldogs have finally pried away a recruit from the Ole Miss pipeline. Take that, Bobby Hall! Desper has a big frame and will be a good fit for offensive line coach John Hevesy’s scheme. Once he arrives on campus, he’ll have luxury of learning and maturing behind Dillon Day and other underclassmen.
Deonte Evans Running Back 5-11, 187
McComb (High), Miss.
Rivals - *** Scout - ***
Evans sports good cutting ability and break away speed once he finds daylight. He's not going to be the biggest back on the team but he seems like he'll be a solid option in the spread offense.
Cedric Jiles Cornerback 5-10, 170
Rivals - *** Scout - **
Jiles posses a number of good but not great tools to draw from including solid foot movement. Given the amount of upperclassmen this year, there’s a chance Jiles may see limited action next season.