Entering last weekend, Mississippi State had just four hard commitments for the class of 2025, the first group head coach Jeff Lebby and his staff will be entirely responsible for bringing to Starkville.
But after a flurry of official visits, that number is up to 10, as the Bulldogs’ class climbed out of last place in the Southeastern Conference, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. MSU is now 15th in the new 16-team SEC — ahead of Florida, which currently has just five commitments.
Steve Miller, a defensive back from Greensboro, Georgia, chose the Bulldogs over LSU, Arkansas, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, among others. Another defensive back from Georgia, Derrion Horsley, also committed Saturday, though he had not yet received any other major conference offers.
Safety Sekour Smith Jr., out of Miami, picked MSU over Ole Miss and Texas A&M as well as his hometown Hurricanes. Josiah Clemons, an interior offensive lineman from Clinton, Mississippi, rounded out Saturday’s commitments. Defensive lineman Christopher Johnson from Montgomery, Alabama, committed Sunday, as did linebacker LaKendrick James from Copiah-Lincoln Community College.
All are rated as three-star recruits by 247Sports except James, who is unrated as a junior college prospect. The Bulldogs’ 2025 class is headlined by four-star quarterback KaMario Taylor from nearby Noxubee County High School and four-star edge rusher Tyshun Willis from Camden, Mississippi.
MSU is still in the running for several other highly-sought after recruits, most notably five-star wide receiver Caleb Cunningham from nearby Ackerman. Cunningham is the top player in Mississippi, per the 247Sports Composite rankings, and the second-best receiver nationally in his class.
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