STARKVILLE – June has been a busy month for Mississippi State football coach Jeff Lebby and his staff, as they take advantage of a break in workouts to hit the recruiting trail.
The Bulldogs currently have the 22nd-ranked class in FBS on 247Sports, 37th on On3, with 23 commitments so far in the class of 2026. The class is still taking shape, and nothing is certain in recruiting until players have signed their letter of intent, but the Bulldogs have been able to win battles on the recruiting trail despite a disappointing 2-10 season in 2024.
Highlighting the class is local standout Jaiden Taylor, who led Noxubee County in receiving last season on the way to a third straight runner-up finish in the Class 3A state title game. He led the team with 19 total touchdowns, including 16 receiving with 892 yards. He also recorded four interceptions on defense. His older brother, Kamario, was the starting quarterback in all three of those years with the Tigers, is now a freshman at MSU.
Taylor, who plays at both receiver and defensive back, was the third player to commit in the class of 2026, following Tupelo running back Jaeden Hill and Winnsboro, Texas, wide receiver Camden Capehart. The trio are the only players in the class who committed in 2024, and together they form the core of a group that is heavy on skill positions and playmakers.
Taylor and Capehart were joined this week by wide receivers Zayion Cotton (Grenada), Jayden Cration (Canton) and Zion Crumpton (Montgomery, Ala.), as well as tight end Luke Hutchinson out of Nashville, Tenn.
Locals may remember Cration’s performance against New Hope last year in the playoffs, where he set up a touchdown and scored another himself on the first two drives of the game, commanding a double team the rest of the way in a 50-41 win for the Tigers.
While there is plenty of excitement for the incoming playmakers on offense, the main concern with the Bulldogs last year was the defense and winning on the line of scrimmage. The Bulldogs posted the 118th-ranked defense in FBS and were 120th in sacks allowed with 38. Lebby went hard to address the problem in the transfer portal and recruiting class of 2025, and has done so again early in the class of 2026.
MSU picked up offensive line commitments from Vancleave native Dalton Toothman on Monday, adding to Jayden Ross (Ocean Springs), Charles Humphrey (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Dylan Steen, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from last week. On the opposite line, Micah Nickerson committed out of Magnolia this week, joining Alabama duo Kaleb Morris and Davon Young to boost the defensive line.
In the defensive skill positions, the Bulldogs have landed commitments from five defensive backs: Terrell Johnson Jr. (Lexington), Jax Pope (Buford, Ga.), Antavius Watts (Carver, Ga.), Camron Brown (Valdosta, Ga.), and Kolby Barrett (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Last, but certainly not least, is the quarterback position. While not an immediate need for the Bulldogs, the team lost two quarterbacks to the portal last winter. Lebby has two players to develop for the time being in Kamario Taylor and Luke Kromenhoek, but is looking to add more competition to the room for the future.
The Bulldogs’ top target at quarterback is Brodie McWhorter, who committed to the Bulldogs in May over offers from several Power 5 programs, including Oregon, Georgia, Auburn and Arkansas. He was previously committed to West Virginia, but reopened his recruitment last December. He took visits to Auburn, Wisconsin and Indiana before committing to the Bulldogs, and then took an official visit to Starkville in June.
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