STARKVILLE — With school starting Monday, the Mississippi State football team announced 11 new players are enrolled for the spring semester and will be able to go through spring practices.
Four of the 11 are high school graduates. The other seven are junior college grads.
The high school players are: quarterback Keytaon Thompson, defensive lineman James Jackson, wide receiver Austin Williams, and defensive back Tyler Williams.
Thompson was named Louisiana’s Mr. Football and Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year last week. The Landry-Walker High School standout is rated as the seventh-best dual quarterback for the 2017 signing class, according to 247Sports Composite. Jackson played at Pascagoula High, Williams played at Ocean Springs High, and Williams played at Lafayette County High.
All four signed financial aid agreements in December, but MSU couldn’t announce them until they enrolled.
MSU signed nine junior college players in December, but East Mississippi Community College standouts Brian Cole and Chauncey Rivers didn’t enroll. A team spokesperson said they are still waiting on the defensive back and defensive lineman to enroll.
Defensive back Johnathan Abram, defensive lineman Lee Autry, offensive lineman Tommy Champion, defensive back Jaquarius Landrews, offensive lineman Tyre Phillips, defensive lineman Deion Pope, and defensive lineman Montez Sweat enrolled.
n In related news, MSU linebacker Leo Lewis was named to the 2016 Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America team. The Brookhaven native is the first Bulldog named to the team.
He had 79 tackles (four-and-a-half for loss), a sack, one pass breakup, and one pass defended in his redshirt freshman season.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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