STARKVILLE — Sunday wrapped up another big weekend for Jeff Lebby and his coaching staff as five players added their names to Mississippi State football’s 2025 class. MSU was playing catch up with only three commitments coming into June, but there was an expectation that would change with the official weekend visits. Lebby’s 2025 class, now ranked No. 25 nationally, according to 247Sports, boasts 17 commitments.
The weekend of June 16 saw verbal commitments from eight three-star prospects; Steve Miller, Kevonte Henry, Derrion Horsley, Sekou Smith Jr., LaKendrick James, Christopher Johnson, Josiah Clemons and Lo’Kavion Jackson.
Another wave of verbal commitments came in after this past weekend from three-stars Austin Howard, Geron Johnson and Davian Jackson, and four-stars Mario Nash Jr. and Ferzell Shepard, making it two big weekends in a row for the Bulldogs.
Howard, a three-star linebacker out of Bartlett, Tenn., became the ninth defensive player in State’s 2025 class. He’s the 22nd-ranked composite recruit in Tennessee and holds offers from the Volunteers, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. He was committed to Vanderbilt before flipping to Mississippi State after his weekend visit.
While the defensive class has shaped up nicely, much of the focus has been on offense since Lebby’s arrival. It’s how he has made his name as a coach, and the gunslinger showcase during the spring game has boosted hopes of improvement from what was the worst offense in the Southeastern Conference a year ago.
The offensive additions from Sunday saw reinforcements come in across the offense. Johnson joins Kolin Wilson, who flipped last week from Cincinnati, in a growing running back room.
Receivers Jackson and Shepard are only the latest additions to what has probably been Lebby’s most impressive recruiting area after four-stars Mario Craver, JJ Harrell and Braylon Burnside highlighted the 2024 class. Shepard, the sixth overall player in Louisiana and 18th-ranked wide receiver nationally, is the third four-star of the 2025 class so far and is currently the highest-rated prospect of State’s commitments.
Last, but certainly not least, Nash Jr. became one of the most important additions to the class. The offensive lineman out of Kemper County is the eighth-ranked player in Mississippi and is only the second in his position to join the 2025 group.
The Bulldogs also secured two prospects for the 2026 class with defensive back Iverson McCoy and running back Jaeden Hill announcing their commitments on Monday.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.