As the 2012 season approached, Mississippi State's coaching staff knew that they had quite a few shoes to fill at the wide receiver position after senior's Chad Bumphis, Arceto Clark, and Chris Smith departed this winter. The Bulldog staff wasted no time in fulfilling those needs, as they recruited talented WR prospects from both the high school and junior college ranks.
One of the big gets for MSU this fall was Tyler (TX) Community College wide receiver Jeremey Chappelle. Chappelle, a 6'2" 212 lb wide out, committed to the Bulldogs just a few weeks ago, and today, made that commitment to the maroon and white official as he signed his Letter of Intent (LOI) with Mississippi State. The news was first announced via Coach Mullen's Twitter feed:
Jeremey Chappelle is officially a Bulldog. #HailState
— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) December 19, 2012
Chappelle, in his commitment story with 247 Sports, cited playing with Tyler Russell and the chance to play in the SEC as his biggest reasons to come to MSU:
(MSU quarterback) Tyler Russell was my host and they had him with me all weekend. We built a good relationship and it is going to be great to catch balls from an NFL-type quarterback. Then with Mississippi State needing receivers and the fact it is the SEC, it doesn't get any better than that. So I am done with visits now and I have found my home."
Chappelle is a big get for MSU, as he possesses both the size and experience to come in and contribute immediately. This past season at Tyler CC, Chappelle caught 60 passes for 801 yards and 9 touchdowns for the Apache's, which was good enough for 12th overall in the NJCAA.
Chappelle will enroll at MSU in January and go through spring practice with State, which gives him a huge advantage at gaining playing (or starting) time next fall.
Jeremey is originally from Bullock, Texas. He originally attended Stephen F. Austin University, before transferring to Tyler CC for a season. He will have two years of eligibility with MSU.
Highlights
You can check out Jeremey Chappelle highlights on Hudl.