How Can Mississippi State Finish Strong In Recruiting

With the first signing day just over a week away, how can MSU finish strong in high school and portal recruiting?

As soon as Jeff Lebby was announced as the new head coach at Mississippi State on November 26th, he instantly hit the ground running in numerous ways including recruiting. This past weekend, Lebby and his staff hosted several high school targets and a few portal targets. 

The Bulldogs subsequently picked up three prospects. After their weekend official visits, Sanfrisco Magee, Michael Van Buren, and Mario Craver committed. 

Both Magee (Ole Miss) and Van Buren (Oregon) were committed elsewhere before Lebby arrived in Starkville. It was a successful weekend, but a few prospects left uncommitted that the Bulldogs are still after and in the game for. 

One of those guys is Starkville native Braylon "Stonka" Burnside. The consensus 4-star receiver was a long-time Bulldog commit but backed off that commitment while MSU struggled offensively under former offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay. 

However, the new Bulldog staff got Burnside on campus and left quite an impression, as it seems the Bulldogs are now the leaders. It was reported that Burnside would choose between MSU and Ole Miss on January 3rd at the Under Armour All-American Game. 

With one weekend remaining for official visits before the dead period, Burnside has yet to visit Ole Miss. The Mississippi-Alabama all-star game will be held this weekend, so Burnside will not have much time to visit the Rebels but expect Ole Miss to push hard for the Starkville native. 

The Bulldogs are currently the favorites but never say never in recruiting. 

Another big name in attendance this weekend was Meridan native Daniel Hill. Hill was set to go out of state and did not camp or visit MSU prior to this weekend. 

Lebby and staff convinced Hill to come for an official visit, and it seems the Bulldogs left quite the impression on the consensus 4-star athlete. It will still be an uphill battle to land Hill, but MSU is a serious option for him for the first time in his recruitment. 

MSU hosted a couple of transfers this weekend, including former North Texas center Ethan Miner and former Vanderbilt tight end Justin Ball. These guys are in positions of need for the Bulldogs, and MSU has connections with both. 

Current Bulldog quarterback and former Vanderbilt transfer Mike Wright is friends with Ball, and the Bulldogs hired Jon Cooper, Miners offensive line coach at North Texas. Both would be solid additions for the Bulldogs, but the Bulldogs still need to sign more portal players if they plan on competing next year instead of rebuilding. 

The Bulldogs will host several transfer portal targets this weekend. The Bulldogs will need to sign over ten players from the portal and especially need help on the defensive side of the ball after losing seven starters off last year's team. 

It will be tough for Jeff Lebby and his staff to flip this roster through the transfer portal, but MSU has a lot of momentum in high school recruiting. If the chalk holds and the Bulldogs land Burnside and Hill, that will be a top-25 class for MSU, a class that seemed bleak a month ago. 

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