WEST POINT — In the span of two hours Monday night, Mississippi State’s football program landed one of the nation’s hottest high school prospects and then lost him.
Scott Lashley, a four-star prospect from West Point High School, committed to the Bulldogs at approximately 6 p.m. Monday after making an unofficial visit to MSU.
He is believed to have made his only public comments about his decision moments later, when a message on his personal Twitter account said, “Thanks to all the schools who recruited me, but I am committing to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.”
By 8 p.m., that message had been deleted. Those closest to Lashley said the 6-foot-7, 300-pound offensive tackle had backed off his commitment.
“I think he believes he may have rushed things a little bit,” West Point High coach Chris Chambless said. “I believe he wants time to really talk it over with his family, make sure he is making the right decision. Scott is a good kid who comes from a great family, so I’m confident they will take their time and make the right decision.”
With nine prospects committed for the Class of 2016, MSU momentarily had landed its biggest recruit. Lashley’s rankings across from three major recruiting services — Scout.com, Rivals.com, 247sports.com — put him in position to be MSU’s highest-rated commitment.
Lashley received his first Division I scholarship offer from MSU in March. Since then, the 16-year-old has moved from an unranked offensive lineman to the No. 13 offensive tackle in the country on Scout.com.
On 247sports.com, Lashley is rated as the nation’s No. 10 offensive tackle and the No. 4 prospect in the state of Mississippi.
Since MSU’s offer, Lashley has added scholarship offers from nearly every major football program in the Southeast, including LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, and others. In all, he has 18 offers, including ones from Wisconsin, Florida State, and Nebraska.
In April, he spoke with The Dispatch about the sudden boost in attention.
“It’s been great, but it’s been pretty sudden,” Lashley said. “I think I will take a while to make my decision. I definitely want to go to as many schools as I can this summer, and hopefully I will be ready to make my decision before the football season comes back around.”
Attempts to reach Lashley on Monday night were unsuccessful.
A source told The Dispatch that coaches from LSU visited West Point High to speak with Lashley on Monday morning.
MSU still figures to remain in the mix to secure Lashley’s signature on National Signing Day. He has visited MSU multiple times, including the Bulldogs’ Junior Day in March. He also attended multiple practices during MSU’s spring session. His uncle, former MSU defensive star Johnie Cooks, was an All-American at MSU and the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft in 1982.
In addition to his close ties to the MSU program, his high school also has a close bond to the Bulldogs. Since 2009, West Point High has sent four players to the SEC, and all four have attended MSU, including former Bulldogs Michael Carr, Curtis Virges, and Justin Cox and current MSU freshman Aeris Williams.
On top of multiple treks to Starkville, Lashley also has visited Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. In April, he also said, “I want to get to Auburn and Georgia to see what they have going on.”
So what will a team be getting when Lashley signs?
“They’ll be getting a hard-working kid who just wants to get better,” West Point offensive line coach Casey Welch said. “Scott’s going to be a great player, and he is a big part of what we want to do this season.”
Verbal commitments are non-binding. National Signing Day is Feb. 3, 2016.
“This recruiting stuff has really become so overwhelming, I think he just got caught up in the moment,” Chambless said. “That could happen to anybody. We’ve talked to Scott about the process, and I think he’s handled himself very well to this point.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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