Dan Mullen and the Mississippi State football team took advantage of the junior college signing period Wednesday by announcing the signing of nine players.
The class is highlighted by the No. 1 JUCO safety Johnathan Abram of Jones County Junior College in Ellisville. Abram played as a freshman at Georgia before transferring to JCJC. Abram had 23 tackles, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble. The Columbia native had 25 tackles in 10 games at Georgia.
“We are very excited about the new Bulldogs we signed,” Mullen said in a statement released by the school. “When you look at this group and with the young team we had this year, there are a lot of guys that have the opportunity to contribute right away, especially on the defensive side of the ball. It’s a huge advantage to have this group begin classes in January and go through spring practice and summer conditioning. It will put them in a position to make an impact when we begin camp in August.”
MSU signed four Copiah-Lincoln C.C. players, including defensive linemen Montez Sweat and Deion Pope, offensive lineman Tommy Champion, and defensive back Jaquarius Landrews.
Copiah-Lincoln C.C. coach Glenn Davis said Mullen and MSU are getting four “really good football players and good people on top of that.”
Davis served as MSU’s running backs coach from 1997-2003 under former coach Jackie Sherrill.
“Those guys really kind of wanted to go to Mississippi State, and I think they felt good about the connection I have with Mississippi State having coached there,” Davis said. “We’ve had previous players go there and be successful, and I think that was a big recruiting thing for us to be able to get them to come to Co-Lin on the front end.”
Sweat began his career at Michigan State, but coach Mark Dantonio dismissed Sweat on April 18.
Sweat had 39 tackles (six for loss), five sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception.
“I definitely think he’s got a tremendous upside,” Davis said. “He’s got a great wingspan, and it’s going to be hard to throw over him. We used him as a drop guy and a rush guy. Whether he’s able to do that in the SEC, I’m not sure. He was a receiver in high school, so he’s a really athletic guy to be in that position that he’s going to play possibly. He’s going to be an impact guy. I think he’s got a bright future.”
Pope had 51 tackles (seven for loss) and one sack this season. In 2015, the Collins native had 42 tackles (12 1/2 for loss) and seven-and-a-half sacks.
MSU signed three from East Mississippi C.C., including defensive back Brian Cole, defensive lineman Chauncey Rivers, and offensive lineman Tyre Phillips. Cole, who began his career as a wide receiver at Michigan, had 54 tackles, a sack, and three forced fumbles as the Lions finished No. 2 in the nation. Rivers had 45 tackles (12 1/2 for loss), eight sacks, one forced fumble, and three pass breakups.
MSU also signed Itawamba C.C. defensive lineman Lee Autry. Autry had 47 tackles (12 1/2 for loss) and five sacks in two seasons for the Indians. His brother Denico, who is currently a member of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, played at MSU from 2012-13 after playing two seasons at EMCC.
MSU had four high school players sign financial agreements including Landry-Walker (La.) quarterback Keytaon Thompson, Ocean Springs wide receiver Austin Williams, Lafayette County cornerback Tyler Williams, and Pascagoula defensive lineman James Jackson. All are expected to enroll for the spring semester, but MSU won’t officially announce them until Jan. 9, the first day of classes.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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