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It feels like we just put the bow on the 2014 Mississippi State recruiting class, and already things are off to a fast start for the Bulldogs with the class of 2015. Even before the 2014 class signed a few weeks ago, MSU already had commitments from 2015 talents such as the four-star trio of DE Timothy Washington, ATH Cameron Meyers, and ATH Jay Johnson. In recent weeks the Bulldogs have added to that list a few more talented players such as S Armani Linton, RB Kentavious Thomas, and CB Chris Stamps. This morning, that roll with the state's top juniors continued even more as the Bulldogs pulled in maybe their biggest commitment for the 2015 class to date - Louisville 4-star receiver Dontea Jones.
Rivals 250 Four-star receiver Dontea Jones texts that he has committed to Mississippi State.
— Robbie Faulk (@Rivals_Robbie) February 17, 2014
Jones, who plays just 30 minutes down Highway 25 from Starkville, gave MSU its ninth commitment with his pledge today. Of the nine committed for the class of 2015 so far, seven are playing in the state of Mississippi.
Dontea is a tall, rangy wide receiver who could give MSU more of a threat on the edge. At 6'4, he also continues the emphasis MSU has put on targeting big, physical receivers in recent classes. With speed and height, he could be another option to help Dak and other MSU QBs stretch the field much in the way that De'Runnya Wilson did last year as a 6'5" freshman.
Jones chose MSU over offers from Florida, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, among others. While he is committed to MSU as of today, there's no doubt that Freeze and Ole Miss and well as Florida will continue to try to change his mind up until his NLI is submitted a year from now.
While it's very important to note that we are still 300+ days away from when this class signs, it's hard not to be excited about where this Mississippi State class is already, and how it can get even better. As things currently stand, the Bulldog class ranks third nationally by the 247sports composite rankings system. That's insane considering MSU is ranked ahead of national champion FSU, Tennessee, Georgia, and a whole bunch of other schools not named Alabama or Texas A&M. MSU will mostly likely not stay at that third position as other schools rack up commitments closer to National Signing Day, but the foundation is certainly there for this class to be top-20, if not higher, when things finish up early next February.
We'll have a more thorough breakdown of MSU's targets and the state of Mississippi for 2015 later on, but we can tell you this right now - the state of Mississippi is stacked talent-wise for this cycle. That means MSU has a chance to sign a lot of talented prospects in '15, but that also means that the Bulldogs will be fighting tooth and nail with Ole Miss as well as a list of national powerhouses to land the many coveted recruits.
