Recruiting Rundown: Recapping a Busy June for Mississippi State

The Bulldogs racked up 14 commitments in June, so what’s left?

Sep 3, 2022; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby before the game against the UTEP Miners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Coming into June, Mississippi State only had four members of its 2025 class. First-year head coach Jeff Lebby and his staff had proven to be effective recruiters in the transfer portal and putting the finishing touches on the 2024 class.

With any first-time coach, it is hard to understand what recruiting philosophy they will have, especially in current-day college football. With the emergence of the transfer portal, some coaches opt to build a roster that way, like Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. Still, there are also coaches like Dabo Swinney at Clemson, who are stubbornly against the idea and opt for a more traditional approach.

Either way, it has positives and negatives, but the safest strategy is to play both fields and keep all options open. It seemed like Lebby would take more of the Kiffin approach, but this month proved otherwise.

The strategy for this staff seems to be rooted in personal evaluations, especially on the defensive side. State hosted multiple camps to open the month, and many prospects received offers.

It has traditionally been hard for MSU to recruit out-of-state talent due to falling behind the curve, but the Bulldogs wasted no time after handing out offers. The first weekend the Bulldogs hosted official visitors (June 14th-16th), it was primarily out-of-state prospects.

It was a successful weekend in the secondary as MSU landed four defensive backs, a pair from Florida and Georgia. Each of these players had something in common: their size and physicality, which seemed to be a priority for this staff: Steve Miller (6-2, 185), Derrion Horsley (6-2, 185), Sekou Smith (6-1, 170), and Lo'Kavion Jackson (6-2, 195).

Of the eight commitments Mississippi State picked up on the weekend, the most intriguing prospect is junior college defensive lineman Kevonte Henry. Henry is a former 4-star and Oklahoma Sooner, and the 6-4 220 pound edge rusher made 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last season at Cerritos College.

The Bulldogs really needed to pick up steam in the high school recruiting ranks, and they did, but there was more work to do. The following weekend (June 21st-23rd), State hosted several in-state prospects, such as 4-stars Tyler Miller (LSU Commit), Tyler Lockhart (Auburn Commit), Kevin Oatis, Cortez Thomas, and Mario Nash Jr.

MSU already had two four-star Magnolia state products in the boat (KaMario Taylor and Tyshun Willis), but the state is rich with talent. State would add Nash to its class as he pledged on June 23rd.

The 6-4 280-pound offensive lineman was a major pickup for the Bulldogs as he officially visited LSU, Ole Miss, and Clemson. Despite facing stiff competition, the Bulldogs locked up Nash on his official visit, and MSU offensive line coach Cody Kennedy, once again, flexed his recruiting prowess.

The second official visit weekend was primarily focused on offense, but State still picked up a linebacker by flipping former Vanderbilt commitment Austin Howard. Despite the heavy in-state crop, State landed a pair of receivers from Louisiana and a running back from Tennessee. 

Once again, this pickup signaled what Lebby is looking for, as receivers Ferzell Shepard (6-2, 175) and Davian Jackson (6-1, 185) have many similarities. Both guys have long frames but also elite speed.

Lebby has heavily emphasized speed in this class and seems to prefer bigger-body receivers, which is reminiscent of the wideouts Hugh Freeze signed during his time at Ole Miss.

Geron Johnson and Kolin Wilson are the two running back commits in the Bulldogs 2025 class, and once again, they are burners. It is no secret Mississippi State has needed more speed at times under past regimes, but Lebby is doing an excellent job of reversing that trend.

Every successful college football program is built off recruiting, and the new coach's early returns at MSU are promising. Lebby is showing if an uncommitted prospect steps on campus, more than likely, their visit will end with a commitment to State.

The recruiting dead period is now underway, but an excellent end to June has Bulldog fans excited for football season, which is slowly getting closer.