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Update #1 - 12:30 PM, 1/16
This update actually came in earlier this morning, but I did not see it until after the original story went up moments ago. While this isn't exactly an update pertaining to visitors to MSU this weekend, is does have to do with Bulldog recruiting.
It appears as though MSU commit Maurice Smitherman won't make a previously planned visit to Texas Tech this weekend after all:
I'm not visiting Texas Tech anymore!!!
— Maurice Smitherman (@Rise_then_Shine) January 16, 2015
Within the past several weeks, Smitherman announced that he'd take visits to South Carolina, Georgia Tech and Texas Tech in addition to his MSU visit before signing day. Is the cancelled visit to Texas Tech a sign that he's shutting down the visits altogether? I'm not sure. For now, though, we know that he has one less visit on the books.
[Original Post] With the dead period over for several days now, we have arrived at the first weekend of official visits in the final push for commitments before the class of 2015 signs on the dotted line on February 4th. This weekend is a big one for the Bulldogs, as a large contingency of in-state -- as well as a few key out of state guys -- prospects roll into town to visit with Dan Mullen and his staff. A lot of these guys are already pledged to sign with the Bulldogs in a few weeks, but there are some big remaining targets who are scheduled to be on campus this weekend in addition to those already committed.
I will do my best to update this post as the weekend goes on. If there are any commitments then we'll detail those out in a separate post. But any other updates as the weekend goes along will be added here in reverse chronological order with the newest information at the top. For now, though, here is the list of expected weekend visitors as well as a few notes on what to watch over the weekend (via 247sports):
Current MSU commits visiting
| Recruit Name | Position | Hometown/School | Rating (247sports) |
| Fletcher Adams | DL | Brandon, MS | 4-star |
| Mark McLaurin | S | Collins | 4-star |
| Jamal Peters | S | Bassfield, MS | 4-star |
| Chris Stamps | CB | Warren Central (Vicksburg, MS) |
4-star |
| Farrod Green | WR | Wesson, MS | 3-star |
| Dontea Jones | WR | Louisville, MS | 3-star |
| Keith Joseph Jr. | DE | Pascagoula, MS | 3-star |
| Jonnas Spivey | ATH | Bay Springs, MS | 3-star |
| Timothy Washington | DE | Yazoo City, MS | 3-star |
Visitors committed elsewhere or uncommitted Leo Lewis
| Recruit Name | Position | Hometown/School | Rating (247sports) |
| Leo Lewis | LB | Brookhaven, MS | 4-star |
| T.D. Moton | DT | Shreveport, LA | 3-star |
| Chris Cunningham | TE | Jacksonville, FL | 3-star |
| Courtney Miggins | DT | Pearl River CC |
3-star |
| Cory Helms | C | Wake Forest | transfer |
Notes for the weekend
- There are always one or two recruits who don't make it to campus, so we'll have to watch who actually comes as players start arriving this evening. The guy most likely to miss coming this weekend is Chris Cunningham, whose plans seem to still be up in the air.
- I don't know much about Miggins, but I do know that he was a late addition to this weekend's visitors list. From a look at his 247sports profile he is a big framed guy (6'5', 285 lbs) with offers from MSU, Kentucky, and NC State.
- The big names to watch on the weekend will of course be committed-elsewhere prospects Leo Lewis and T.D. Moton. Lewis, and Ole Miss commit, and Moton, and Alabama commit, are both big remaining targets for State for the few final available spots. There is a lot of speculation around Lewis that his recruitment remains wide open despite a commitment to Ole Miss. And Moton is a very interesting situation as he was once an MSU commit, then later decommitted and joined the Crimson Tide class. He surprised many by announcing his visit on Twitter earlier this week. He will also reportedly visit with one or two Texas schools (TCU and A&M, I think?) in addition to this weekend's State visit.
- This weekend's visitors list was also set to include Yazoo City star Gabriel Campbell; however, that has now changed. Campbell, a recent Oklahoma commit, told the Clarion-Ledger's Riley Blevins last night that he won't be making his MSU visit this weekend after all. While that certainly stings a tad for those silently hoping to flip Campbell back to the Bulldogs, his recruitment was likely a long shot to change regardless. He looks to be locked in on Oklahoma.
- We'll do our best to add important updates above as the weekend progresses, but if you're looking for news as it happens, I can't stress enough how good of a follow Paul Jones and Robbie Faulk are. There are others in the business who do a good job, but very few do as good a job as those two in my opinion. Make sure you are following them throughout the weekend and beyond National Signing Day for all the up-to-date info on MSU recruiting.