Report: 4-Star QB Jalen Mayden releases top 3

Mississippi State landed 4-star Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year Keytaon Thompson in the 2017 signing class, but with only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, Dan Mullen is looking to add an elite signal caller in the 2018 recruiting cycle.

4-star Texas QB Jalen Mayden released his top 5 schools last week, but has since narrowed his list down to three: Mississippi State, Louisville, and Tennessee, according to Rivals recruiting analyst Woody Wommack.

The 6-foot-2, 215 pound QB unofficially visited Starkville on April 1st, according to 247Sports. While on his visit, the dynamic quarterback had the opportunity to watch Nick Fitzgerald and Thompson, as well as get to know new QB coach Brett Elliott. Per Rivals, Mayden seems to like the fit in the Maroon and White.

“I just got back from a visit to Mississippi State. It was cool. The coaches seem to know what they’re doing and the offensive scheme they run, it’s not similar to my high school offense but I’ve seen the success they’ve had in the past with Dak being there. I just want to see what they’re going to do this season. I was there for practice and I went up there to see how the new quarterbacks coach worked with the guys. He’s pretty cool.”

The Dak Prescott-effect has the chance to help Mississippi State make major strides in the QB market and in the state of Texas. After leaving Starkville as the best player to ever play for the Bulldogs, Dak Prescott went from being a 4th-round selection in last year’s NFL Draft to leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 13-3 record on his way to winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Mayden, a native of Dallas suburb Sachse, Texas, certainly took notice.

Dan Mullen is building a reputation as one of the best quarterback developers across college football. After seeing what the 9th-year Mississippi State Head Coach has done with names like Alex Smith, Tim Tebow, Dak Prescott, and now Nick Fitzgerald, it isn’t hard to see why Jalen Mayden is intrigued about playing for the Bulldogs.

With Mayden’s most recent visit being in Starkville, Mississippi State has the momentum to land the talented Texas signal caller; however, he told Rivals that he is considering making a trip to Tennessee’s spring game.

Jalen Mayden is set to make his decision at Sachse High School’s spring game on May 23rd.