Mississippi State landed its first commitment of the 2025 recruiting class in AJ Rice, a linebacker out of Madison, Ala., who lived near Crawford before moving east to begin his high school football career.
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, Rice also had offers from power conference programs South Carolina, Cincinnati and Georgia Tech, as well as Troy, Alabama-Birmingham, Liberty and North Alabama.
247sports has Rice rated as a three-star recruit, and he told the website that he had informed defensive coordinator Matt Brock and head coach Zach Arnett of his decision to commit on Saturday, when he was attending the Bulldogs’ season-opening win over Southeastern Louisiana.
Rice is currently the No. 44 linebacker in the Class of 2025, per 247sports, and the No. 22 player in the state of Alabama.
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