Breaking down Mississippi State football’s 2024 early signing class

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.