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After nearly two full weeks of releasing daily video content announcing the 2014 Dandy Dozen, the Clarion Ledger's annual list of the best high school football players in the state of Mississippi is finally complete today. And with the list's completion, we can now take a look at how MSU is currently represented, and what uncommitted prospects were named as well. Here are the 12 best players in the state, according to the Clarion-Ledger (in order of announcement):
Name | Position | School | Committed to |
Leo Lewis | LB | Brookhaven | -- |
Jamal Peters | S | Bassfield | MSU |
Jay Johnson | WR | Bruce | Ole Miss |
Javon Patterson | OL | Petal | -- |
Timothy Washington | DL | Yazoo City | MSU |
Fletcher Adams | DE | Brandon | -- |
Malik Dear | ATH | Murrah | MSU |
Cameron Myers | WR | Oak Grove | MSU |
Dontea Jones | WR | Louisville | MSU |
Gabe Campbell | DE | Yazoo City | -- |
Armani Linton | ATH | Walnut | Ole Miss |
Darrell Henderson | RB | South Panola | -- |
Of course things will definitely change between now (July) and February, but as it stands MSU leads the way with five commitments on the list with Ole Miss following that with two of their own. At one time, both Jay Johnson and Armani Linton were also committed to MSU, but that changed when the pair switched their verbals several months ago. Again, that is to be expected as the two teams battle it out for the state's top players.
In addition to the players on the list MSU already has committed, there are several big targets left for the Bulldogs, including Leo Lewis, Javon Patterson, Fletcher Adams, and Gabe Campbell. Lewis, a former Alabama commit, decommitted at the MSU Big Dawg Camp last week, prompting some to expect him to flip to MSU. That has not happened yet, and it appears Lewis will do the wise thing and take a look at additional schools before pledging a commitment again. Leo will no doubt have offers from nearly every school in the south by the fall, if he doesn't already.
Javon Patterson will be an interesting recruitment to follow as he, like Lewis, has offers from dozens of major programs. 247's crystal ball has him currently with a 67% chance to go to Ole Miss. The other two, Adams and Campbell, have MSU connections, as Fletcher's brother, Nelson, plays at MSU and Campbell is from Yazoo City where former MSU great Fletcher Cox hails from. MSU also already has one commitment from Campbell's teammate, Tim Washington, so that may help bring Campbell aboard should Washington stick and sign in February.
While the list is more of an honor for the players than anything else, it's also a good indicator of how well Dan Mullen's recruiting efforts are going in the state. Mullen has made Mississippi a primary focus since he arrived on campus, and with five of the top 12 players in the state committed, it's hard to argue that he isn't doing a good job with that charge. Will this list change by February? Absolutely. But at this very moment, Mullen is maximizing his efforts in the state of Mississippi.