STARKVILLE – Mississippi State could be in position to bring in its first five-star prospect since Dan Mullen took over as head coach.
Morton High School defensive tackle Quay Evans announced Thursday he actually verbally committed to the Bulldogs program this past summer at the Big Dawgs camp in August.
“I’ve known that Mississippi State was where I wanted to be since this summer,” Evans told BulldawgJunction.com. “I committed at camp because I just knew that was the right thing for me.”
Evans becomes the 22nd verbal commitment of the 2012 recruiting class and MSU is allowed to sign three over the 25-player limit with some graduating early and enrolling this spring. National Signing Day for football prospects is Feb. 1. He chose MSU over offers from the University of Alabama, University of Mississippi, LSU and Florida State University.
The 6-foot-2, 318 pound lineman recorded 68 tackles, 9.5 tackles-for-loss and 4.0 sacks this past season but had his selection to play in the Under Armour All-American Game rescinded after he was suspended by Morton for an undisclosed off-the-field incident.
If Evans keeps his commitment, he will be the first five-star prospect from any recruiting service to attend MSU since safety Derek Pegues of South Panola High selected the Bulldogs program.
“I’m happy to have this (recruiting) over with,” Evans said. “I’ve earned all this publicity but I’m glad it is over so people can leave me alone.”
Last season Linebacker C.J. Johnson, a five-star prospect by Rivals.com out of Philadelphia, Miss., committed to MSU in 2010 but would eventually sign with the University of Mississippi.
According to Rivals.com, Evans makes six of the top 15 prospects in the Magnolia state being verbally committed to MSU.
Evans will be paired Long Beach (Miss.) defensive tackle Nick James after he verbally committed in August. Evans’ primary recruiter on the MSU staff was defensive coordinator Chris Wilson and the second-year
coordinator was a major influence in the Morton product making his decision.
“There aren’t a lot of people out there like Coach Wilson,” said Evans. “He’s like a father figure to me. I know he’s got flaws but you just don’t see them because he is so genuine and down to earth. He is just ‘that guy’ and I want to play for ‘that guy’.”
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