STARKVILLE — Starkville wide receiver Braylon “Stonka” Burnside’s commitment announcement during Wednesday’s Under Armour Next All-American Game in Orlando made him the second Yellow Jacket during this recruiting cycle to commit to an FBS program.
Burnside is staying local, headed to Mississippi State, while his quarterback counterpart, Trey Petty, is going to Champaign, Illinois, to play for the Fighting Illini.
The duo made headlines as integral parts of Starkville’s success over the past two seasons, which include a MHSAA 6A title and an appearance in the state’s inaugural 7A title game. But Petty and Burnside are far from the first pair of Yellow Jackets to earn opportunities at the sport’s highest collegiate level. Over the past five seasons alone, including 2023, 10 SHS graduates have gone on to play at the FBS level, either directly or after playing junior college ball.
In comparison, the most successful high school team in the Golden Triangle, West Point, has sent seven players to the next level over the past five seasons.
Below, The Dispatch revisits these 10 former Yellow Jackets, where they started their careers and where they’re currently playing.
2023: QB Trey Petty & WR Braylon Burnside
Burnside posted two-straight 1,000 yard seasons to finish his Yellow Jacket career, recording 29 receiving touchdowns during that time. He quickly became one of the best wide receivers in Mississippi, earning a four-star recruiting ranking, according to 247Sports.
Petty was named Mississippi High School Activities Association 2023 Class 7A Mr. Football this season, recording more than 6,700 yards of total offense and 80+ total touchdowns over the past two seasons. He was ranked as high as a three-star recruit.
Both played a key role, as arguably the two most important offensive players, in Starkville’s seventh state championship in program history in 2022, and its first since 2017 as the Jackets defeated Brandon, 48-32, in Hattiesburg.
2022: P Ethan Pulliam & OL Chris Hayes
Pulliam is the most unique player on this list from a sports perspective, committing to Mississippi State as a dual-sport athlete in both baseball and football.
In the Class of 2023, Pulliam was rated as a five-star punter and No. 9 punter in the nation as part of the Class of 2023 by Kohl’s Kicking Camps. He’s yet to make a significant impact at Mississippi State, but his potential is immense.
Hayes was a mainstay on the offensive line for the Jackets and committed to Southern Miss following the 2022 season.
The 6-foot-3, 270-pound lineman suited up for four games with the Golden Eagles and will most likely earn redshirt status going into his sophomore season.
2021: OL Karsten Upchurch
Upchurch is one of several players on this list to have taken the junior college route, playing the last two seasons at East Mississippi Community College, where he committed out of high school.
The decision paid off for him as he was part of two state championships and EMCC’s sixth trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I national championship game in December.
Upchurch, named a 2023 All-Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference first team selection on the offensive line, committed to Mississippi State in December as a preferred walk-on.
2020: QB Luke Altmyer
Altmyer will soon see a fellow Starkville teammate in Trey Petty this spring, as the former Yellow Jacket quarterback transferred to Illinois before the 2023 season. Prior to that, the Class of 2021 recruit committed to Ole Miss out of high school.
A four-star recruit and 3,000 yard passer as a junior, Altmyer set the Starkville single-game passing yards record, and passed for nearly 5,000 yards and 53 touchdowns in his final two seasons as a Yellow Jacket.
He was seen as a recruiting coup in Oxford, but played just nine games with the Rebels before entering the transfer portal.
After transferring to Illinois, Altmeyer was named the starter heading into the 2023 season, where he ended up starting nine games and throwing for 1,883 yards and 13 passing touchdowns while running for 282 yards and three touchdowns.
2019: WR Rufus Harvey, DL Jaylan Ware, WR Josh Aka & LB Tyrese Hopkins
The 2019 season turned out to be a banner year for Starkville prospects, as four Class of 2019 players have now progressed to the FBS level, with all four taking interesting journeys to get there.
Harvey committed to Mississippi State right out of high school, where he redshirted as a freshman but quickly became an important receiver for the Bulldogs. As a redshirt sophomore in 2022, his 53 receptions led the team, finishing with 505 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Ware, Aka and Hopkins all used junior college football to progress up to or back to the next level, beginning with Ware, a player who recorded 255 tackles, 51 tackles for loss and 13 sacks while at Starkville.
His college career began at Hinds Community College, where he played two seasons following a Covid-shortened 2020 season, earning All-MACCC South Division first team honors multiple times.
Ware signed with Louisiana-Monroe after Hinds, making an immediate impact as a senior with 54 total tackles and six tackles for loss.
Aka signed with EMCC following his career with the Jackets and a senior season that saw him record 770 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. In his two years in Scooba, Aka recorded 684 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. After the 2022 season, he committed to Ole Miss as a preferred walk-on.
Hopkins, a Noxubee County transfer who spent two years at Starkville, recorded 150 total tackles and 23 tackles for loss. Hopkins, who signed with Southern Miss out of high school, ended up at EMCC after three years with the Golden Eagles. He found success once again with the Lions in 2023, recording 65 total tackles, two sacks and five tackles for loss.
He’s now committed to Louisiana-Monroe, where he will once again compete in the Sun Belt Conference.
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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 45 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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