Mississippi
Breaking down Mississippi State football’s 2024 early signing class
![Breaking down Mississippi State football’s 2024 early signing class Breaking down Mississippi State football’s 2024 early signing class](https://cdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MSU-FB-signees.jpg)
The three-day early signing period is now complete, and Mississippi State officially has 20 high school and junior college players on board for the class of 2024.
Wide receivers Sanfrisco Magee and Matt Mayfield remain committed but have yet to sign, and the Bulldogs are still in play for a few more top prospects, including Meridian running back Daniel Hill and Starkville High receiver Braylon Burnside. MSU is also sure to add to its current 10 transfer portal pickups once bowl season concludes. For now, though, The Dispatch is taking a look at those who have signed on as part of head coach Jeff Lebby’s first recruiting class.
OT Jimothy Lewis, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
A consensus four-star from an athletic powerhouse, Lewis had offers from 10 other Southeastern Conference schools, including Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss. Lewis started as a sophomore at Madison-Ridgeland Academy, winning a Mississippi state championship, before transferring to IMG Academy. He committed to the Bulldogs in June and never wavered, even after visiting Ole Miss in late October.
WR JJ Harrell, North Panola HS (Sardis, Miss.)
A four-star recruit and the No. 6 player in Mississippi, per the 247Sports Composite rankings, Harrell helped keep the class together as the Bulldogs went through a coaching change last month. He had eight other SEC offers but committed to MSU in June after decommitting from Tennessee.
QB Michael Van Buren, St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)
Van Buren, the eighth-ranked player in Maryland and the No. 14 quarterback in the class by the 247Sports Composite rankings, decommitted from Oregon, officially visited MSU and committed to the Bulldogs all within the span of eight days earlier this month. He also had offers from Alabama, Michigan and Oklahoma, among others.
WR Mario Craver, Clay-Chalkville HS (Pinson, Ala.)
Craver chose MSU over both SEC schools in Alabama and eight others in the conference. He visited Starkville on Dec. 8 as part of a large group of 2024 prospects and committed two days later.
DL Terrance Hibbler, Holmes County Central HS (Lexington, Miss.)
Hibbler committed to the Bulldogs in early June, and despite making an official visit to Texas later that month, stuck with his commitment even through MSU’s coaching change. The No. 12 player in the state also had nine other SEC offers.
OT TJ Lockhart, Winona (Miss.) HS
Lockhart brings size to the Bulldogs’ offensive front at 6-foot-6 and 365 pounds. He committed to MSU, his only major conference offer, back in March, and stuck with his commitment as defensive line coach David Turner was retained by Lebby.
LB Fred Clark, Winona (Miss.) HS
Clark committed to Ole Miss in March, then reopened his recruitment in June before committing to the Bulldogs four days later. He also had offers from Auburn and Georgia Tech, among others, but new defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler helped seal the deal and bring Clark to Starkville.
RB Xavier Gayten, Brookhaven (Miss.) HS
Gayten received very little interest outside of his home state, with his only Football Bowl Subdivision offers coming from MSU, Ole Miss and Southern Miss. He rushed for 2,055 yards and 25 touchdowns on 218 carries as a high school senior.
TE JaCorey Whitted, McAdory HS (McCalia, Ala.)
Whitted committed to the Bulldogs in September over offers from Alabama, Auburn and four other SEC schools, and new tight ends coach Jon Cooper helped secure his signature. He caught 31 passes for 678 yards and nine touchdowns in his final high school season.
S Tyler Woodard, East Mississippi Community College
A Memphis native, Woodard helped the Lions reach the junior college national championship game, racking up 56 tackles in total including 11 in the national semifinals. He added 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception, and chose MSU over Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee, among others.
LB Branden Jennings, Hinds Community College (Raymond, Miss.)
The Bulldogs were Jennings’ lone major conference offer even after he led Hinds with 58 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss. He is the No. 2 junior college linebacker in the class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.
CB Jatavious Johnson, Hooks (Texas) HS
Hooks made his official visit to Starkville on Dec. 15, then committed and signed on the same day. He played both offense and defense in high school, finishing with 80 tackles, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
WR Ricky Johnson, Houston County HS (Warner Robins, Ga.)
MSU flipped Johnson from Stanford on signing day, and he also had offers from Auburn, Penn State and Vanderbilt, among others. Johnson finished with 1,213 receiving yards on 65 catches with 16 touchdowns as a high school senior.
DL Ashun Shepphard, EMCC
Shepphard finished with 39 tackles, including nine for a loss and four sacks, and also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for the Lions this fall. Illinois and West Virginia were his other major conference offers.
RB Johnnie Daniels, Copiah-Lincoln Community College (Wesson, Miss.)
The top junior college running back in the class, Daniels rushed for 1,253 yards and 15 touchdowns on 183 carries this season, helping his team to a 10-2 record. He also had three 1,000-plus yard seasons at Crystal Springs High.
OT Luke Work, Lausanne Collegiate School (Memphis, Tenn.)
Work committed to MSU in June and remained committed after officially visiting Purdue later that month. Missouri was his only other SEC offer.
DL Kai McClendon, Gulfport (Miss.) HS
McClendon finished with 63 tackles including eight for a loss to go along with three sacks and a forced fumble during his final high school season. His other major conference offers were from Arizona State and Georgia Tech.
CB Elijah Cannon, Coconut Creek HS (Pompano Beach, Fla.)
The Bulldogs flipped Cannon, who intercepted three passes and broke up six more as a high school senior, from Florida Atlantic on signing day after he made an official visit to MSU.
LB Marcus Ross, EMCC
Ross was a key cog in the Lions’ defense this season, making 77 tackles (seven tackles for loss), three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Arizona State was his only other major conference offer.
S Cyrus Reyes, Taylor HS (Katy, Texas)
Reyes finished his senior season with 91 tackles, 60 of them solo, as well as three interceptions. His other FBS offers came from Memphis and Arkansas State.
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 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Mississippi
Vote for Mississippi boys high school athlete of the week Sept. 2-7
There were several top performers across the state in boys high school sports, but only one can be voted athlete of the week for Sept. 2-7.
Fans may vote in the poll BELOW one time per hour per device. The poll closes at noon on Friday.
To nominate a future athlete of the week, email mchavez@gannett.com or message him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
To submit high school scores, statistics, records, leaders and other items at any time, email mchavez@gannett.com.
Nominations
Kendetryon Backstrom, Kemper County: Backstrom had 247 passing yards, going 13-of-16 on completions for with two touchdowns and had six carries for 45 yards and three touchdowns in Kemper County’s 46-8 win over Noxapater.
Ronde Baker, Terry: Baker produced 171 rushing yards on 12 carries with four touchdowns in Terry’s 57-6 win over Pure Academy.
Wyatt Bond, Lamar School: Bond recorded 320 passing yards, going 24-of-37 with three touchdowns, and had 43 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Lamar’s 35-34 loss to Winston Academy.
Coby King, Greene County: King was 24-of-35 passing for 418 yards with a touchdown and had 11 carries for 137 rushing yards with four touchdowns in Greene County’s 51-36 loss to George County.
Tray Kinkle, Holly Springs: Kinkle produced 10 carries for 300 yards and four touchdowns in Holly Springs’ 33-0 win over Byers.
Tyshun Willis, Velma Jackson: Willis had 15 carries for 203 rushing yards with a touchdown, four receptions with 59 receiving yards, and a touchdown. On defense, he recorded four sacks, 8.5 tackles and three tackles for loss in Velma Jackson’s 24-22 win over Yazoo County.
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
Mississippi
Mississippi woman killed in two-vehicle crash in Grenada County
GRENADA COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A Mississippi woman was killed during a two-vehicle crash in Grenada County.
Officials with the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) said the crash occurred on Highway 7 just after 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 7.
Mississippi woman killed in head-on crash in Louisiana
According to MHP, a 2002 Toyota Sequoia was traveling north on the highway when the vehicle collided with a Mercedes van that was also traveling north.
The driver of the Mercedes, 53-year-old Loretta Hopkins, of Winona, died at the scene.
This crash remains under investigation by MHP.
Thanks for signing up!
Watch for us in your inbox.
Subscribe Now
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV.
Mississippi
Mississippi State’s Loss Doesn’t Stop SEC from Owning Week Two in AP Top 25
![Mississippi State’s Loss Doesn’t Stop SEC from Owning Week Two in AP Top 25 Mississippi State’s Loss Doesn’t Stop SEC from Owning Week Two in AP Top 25](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2748,h_1545,x_411,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/cowbell_corner/01j79mrpwsvvqcvrr5dh.jpg)
Outside of Mississippi State, Arkansas and Auburn, the SEC had a very successful Week Two of the college football season. The latest AP Top 25 poll reflects the strength of the SEC with 6 of the top 7 spots belonging to SEC teams.
Here’s a recap of how the ranked SEC teams fared in the second full week of the college football season:
Click here for a recap of the unranked SEC teams.
With the exception of giving up three points, this was probably exactly how Georgia expected this game to go. Carson Beck threw five touchdowns and the defense held Tennessee Tech to less than 150 yards of total offense. Anything less would be a surprise.
More than 100,000 people saw Texas come into Ann Arbor, Mich. and leave with a huge win. The Longhorns looked like the better team from the first drive of the game where they easily marched down the field. That Oct. 19 game in Austin against Georgia is looking better and better.
It was a lot closer than Alabama would’ve liked, but it’s a win that will fend off the “Nick Saban is gone, we’re doomed” crowd. At the same time, though, there were some things that crowd could point to at a later time.
Two games against inferior competition and Ole Miss has outscored its opponents 129-3. They’ll take a slight step up in competition next week against Wake Forest, but the Rebels are still about a month away from playing a team that will truly test them.
Missouri’s schedule just took an unexpected bump in its level of difficulty with No. 24 Boston College joining the top 25. Bill O’Brien is brilliant at game planning and calling plays (not so much with making trades, but that hasn’t reached the college ranks yet). Missouri needs to be on upset alert (and ready to stop the run).
This happens every year. Tennessee looks really good to start the season and by the end Volunteer fans are saying next year is their year. But maybe this year is their year with the way Nico Iamaleava has been playing.
Of the two SEC newcomers, Texas is getting most of the attention which makes sense based on the current teams. But folks, don’t sleep on the Sooners. They ruined many of my own childhood memories growing up in Texas. This week’s way-too close game doesn’t help that argument, but think long term.
LSU was one of three SEC teams to play FCS schools after playing top 25 teams last week. The Tigers and Texas A&M both lost, while Georgia won. So, it’s not surprising to see each of them play FCS teams and neither were any of the results.
SEC Week 2 Power Rankings: Which Teams Are Contenders or Pretenders?
WATCH: Mississippi State’s Bowl Hopes Take a Hit with Arizona State Defeat
Mississippi State Crumbles in the Trenches: What Went Wrong Against Arizona State?
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump impersonates Elon Musk talking about rockets: ‘I’m doing a new stainless steel hub’
-
World1 week ago
Brussels, my love? Is France becoming the sick man of Europe?
-
World1 week ago
Locals survey damage after flooding in eastern Romania
-
World1 week ago
Taiwan court orders release of ex-Taipei mayor arrested in corruption probe
-
Politics1 week ago
'For election purposes': Critics balk at Harris' claim she will 'enforce our laws' at southern border
-
World1 week ago
Seven EU members hadn’t received any post-Covid funding by end-2023
-
World4 days ago
Meloni says 'we are making history' as Italy’s FDI reviews progress
-
World1 week ago
Oasis fans struggle to secure tickets for band’s reunion tour