Mississippi
Mississippi State football lands Grenada 4-star WR Zayion Cotton in 2026 recruiting class
This story was updated to add new information.
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football has a new top prospect in its 2026 recruiting class.
Zayion Cotton, a 247Sports Composite four-star, committed to the Bulldogs on June 22. The wide receiver from Grenada announced the news with a post on X.
“1,000% committed!!! #HailState,” he wrote in the post.
He kicked off a run of four commits for the day. Shortly after Cotton’s commitment, three-star Canton wide receiver Jayden Cration pledged to the Bulldogs. So did South Pike edge rusher Micah Nickerson, who’s unranked, and three-star Holmes County Central cornerback Terrell Johnson Jr.
Cotton picked MSU over power conference offers from Ole Miss, Miami, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Auburn, Arkansas and NC State. He overtakes quarterback Brodie McWhorter as the top player in Mississippi State’s recruiting class. The 6-foot-5, 215 pounds receiver recorded 48 receptions for 700 yards and six touchdowns last season as Grenada won the MHSAA Class 6A championship.
Cration, 6-3, 185 pounds, held power conference offers from Ole Miss, LSU, Vanderbilt and West Virginia. Nickerson’s one other power conference offer was from Virginia. Johnson had no other offers from power conference schools.
Two three-stars committed over the weekend before Cotton: tight end Luke Hutchinson and safety Jax Pope.
247 rankings for Zayion Cotton, Jayden Cration, Micah Nickerson and Terrell Johnson Jr.
Cotton is a four-star prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He’s tabbed at No. 418 nationally, the No. 65 wide receiver and No. 16 in Mississippi.
Cration, a three-star, is ranked No. 563 nationally, the No. 91 wide receiver and No. 19 in Mississippi.
Johnson, 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, does not have a national rank but is the No. 146 cornerback and No. 51 player in Mississippi, according to 247Sports.
Nickerson, 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, is not ranked.
Mississippi State football recruiting class 2026
Mississippi State now has 20 commitments for its 2026 recruiting class:
- WR Zayion Cotton
- QB Brodie McWhorter
- WR Jayden Cration
- IOL Jakobe Green
- ATH Jaiden Taylor
- WR Camden Capehart
- RB Jaeden Hill
- DL Kaleb Morris
- OT Charles Humphrey
- S Antavius Watts
- TE Adam Land
- CB Camron Brown
- S Kolby Barrett
- S Jax Pope
- TE Luke Hutchinson
- OT Jayden Ross
- LB Maurice Jones Jr.
- IOL Dylan Steen
- DE Micah Nickerson
- CB Terrell Johnson Jr.
Where Mississippi State ranks in 2026 team recruiting rankings
The Bulldogs’ 2026 recruiting class is ranked No. 34 nationally. It’s No. 7 in the SEC.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) — Gas prices in Mississippi have fallen ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, with AAA reporting the average price for regular unleaded at $3.46 a gallon, down eight cents from last week.
Prices along the coast are even lower.
AAA spokesman Don Redman said the drop is tied to a decline in crude oil prices.
“We’ve definitely seen a decrease statewide,” Redman said.
Redman said lower crude oil prices can mean lower gas prices, since crude oil is used to make gasoline.
“When we were at the height of this war, we touched over $115 a barrel, but we’re currently looking at $70 a barrel and that absolutely has had an impact,” Redman said.
AAA said prices had been higher in recent weeks because of uncertainty in the global oil market, including the conflict in Iran.
Gulfport-area driver David Depreo said the lower prices are a welcome change from paying more than $3.50 a gallon.
“It sure is nice to see this,” Depreo said.
Depreo said the higher prices had taken a financial toll on his family.
“It’s put pressure on everybody. I’m retired, but I have younger children with kids and it’s a struggle for them,” Depreo said.
He said the savings will add up at the pump.
“I’m gonna probably save $10–$15. I fill up every half a tank and keep a full tank,” Depreo said.
Redman said drivers are not out of the woods yet.
“I think we’re always going to be in a state of flexibility in terms of prices and seeing that light at the end of the tunnel really will come when a permanent treaty is signed with Iran,” Redman said.
AAA expects more than 60 million Americans to hit the road this holiday weekend.
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Supreme Court allows late-arriving mail-in ballots
The Supreme Court is upholding Mississippi’s rule to count mail-in ballots received within five days after Election Day, halting Trump’s attack on voting by mail.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court backed on Monday state laws that allow mail-in ballots received after Election Day to be counted, rejecting a Republican-led challenge to a five-day grace period in Mississippi and dealing a setback to President Donald Trump.
The justices in a 5-4 ruling overturned a lower court’s decision that had deemed Mississippi’s law inconsistent with U.S. statutes that set the timing of federal elections – for the presidency, Senate and House of Representatives. Trump last year vowed to end the use of mail-in ballots nationwide before this November’s congressional elections, when his fellow Republicans are seeking to retain control of Congress.
The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts and fellow conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberals in the majority. Barrett wrote the opinion.
Conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh dissented from the decision.
Mississippi’s law permits mail-in ballots to be counted if they were postmarked on or before Election Day but received up to five business days after a federal election. Absentee voting by mail in Mississippi is limited to a few categories of voters including people age 65 and above, the disabled and those living away from home.
About 30 states and the District of Columbia accept at least some ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day but received afterward.
The Republican National Committee, the Mississippi Republican Party and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in 2024 seeking to invalidate Mississippi’s law.
Trump’s administration backed the challenge. Restricting mail-in ballots would stand to disproportionately benefit Republicans given that Democratic voters traditionally have been more likely to use mail-in ballots than Republican voters.
After the ruling, Trump again called on Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a partisan federal elections bill that would require photo identification to vote and proof of citizenship to register to vote. Republicans have been unable to overcome Democratic opposition in the U.S. Senate, where 60 votes are required to advance most legislation in the 100-seat chamber. Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority.
“In light of the tremendous loss in the Supreme Court today concerning Voter’s Rights, and the fact that ‘people’s’ votes are allowed to be counted LONG AFTER an Election is over, it is more important than ever to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,” Trump wrote.
Trump added, “There is only one reason to oppose — CHEATING!”
Democrats have accused Trump of seeking measures that would make it harder for people to vote, especially groups that tend to favor Democratic candidates
A skeptical view
Republicans have taken a skeptical view toward mail-in ballots. Trump has sought to cast doubt on the security of these ballots, although evidence of voter fraud is rare. Trump issued an executive order in March to restrict mail-in ballots nationwide, but a federal judge in Boston on June 25 blocked its implementation.
Trump has continued to make false claims of widespread voting fraud in the 2020 presidential election that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
During the first year of the COVID pandemic, the Republican-controlled Mississippi legislature in 2020 passed the law on mail-in voting on a bipartisan basis.
The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2024 ruled in favor of the Republican challengers. It declared that the measure was preempted by federal laws setting Election Day for federal elections as the “day by which ballots must be both cast by voters and received by state officials.”
Federal law “does not permit the state of Mississippi to extend the period for voting by one day, five days or 100 days,” the 5th Circuit stated.
The 5th Circuit did not immediately block Mississippi’s procedures, but instead sent the case back to a trial judge for further review. The litigation was placed on hold pending the Supreme Court’s consideration.
During Supreme Court arguments in the case in March, some of the conservative justices expressed concerns that permissive mail-in ballot practices could cause the appearance of voter fraud. Some of the liberal justices said the arguments made by the challengers also would jeopardize the widespread practice of early voting prior to Election Day.
Though the 5th Circuit’s action applied only in the three states where the regional federal appeals court has jurisdiction — Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas — it called into question the voting practices in the other states with similar mail-in ballot policies.
The 5th Circuit’s decision would “override countless state laws from the past 165 years and largely require citizens to vote in person, on Election Day, in their home districts, without the secret-ballot system,” Mississippi said in its appeal.
Other election-related decisions
Acting in other election-related cases, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority in April gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, blocking an electoral map that had given Louisiana a second Black-majority U.S. congressional district.
The ruling makes it harder for minorities to challenge electoral maps as racially discriminatory under the 1965 civil rights law and represented a victory for Louisiana Republicans and Trump’s administration.
That decision prompted several Republican-led states to pursue redrawn electoral maps ahead of the midterms in an effort to put at risk U.S. House seats considered safely Democratic-held.
Mississippi has no shortage of quarterback talent entering the 2026 high school football season. From proven 3,000-yard passers to explosive dual-threat playmakers and reigning state champions, the Magnolia State is loaded with signal-callers capable of carrying their teams deep into November.
As we gear up for the 2026 season, High School On SI will be exploring Mississippi’s top players at each position. Today, we start with our list of quarterback to watch, highlighting 10 of the best signal callers in the state.
Elite Passers
Smith Stringer, Presbyterian Christian School
In 2025, Stringer completed nearly 61 percent of his passes for 2,783 yards and 37 touchdowns. He threw just seven interceptions, and there were three games where he threw for over 300 yards. Stringer also added 144 yards on the ground with two touchdowns on 24 carries.
Kellen Hall, Oak Grove
Hall completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,709 yards and 34 touchdowns last season. He displayed excellent decision-making as well as he threw only four interceptions. On the ground, Hall rushed for 189 yards and one touchdown on 39 carries. Hall also put the entire state on notice last season with his 438-yard and six touchdown performance in the 57-54 loss to Starkville.
Gavin Ducksworth, Hattiesburg
In 2025, Ducksworth completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,581 yards and 27 touchdowns with five interceptions. Ducksworth had two games where he passed for over 400 yards, and he finished with a quarterback rating of 137.1.
The Dynamic Dual-Threats
Paris Trivillion, Pass Christian
Few quarterbacks in Mississippi are more dangerous with both their arm and legs than Trivillion. In two full years as a starter, Trivillion has passed for over 4,600 yards with 53 touchdowns and rushed for over 1,800 yards with 23 touchdowns. In his junior season, he completed nearly 53 percent of his passes for 2,570 yards with 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,120 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Kingston Johnson, Starkville
Johnson finished the season last year by completing 51 percent of his passes for 2,510 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 488 yards and eight touchdowns. Johnson’s best game of the 2025 season came in the 57-54 win over Oak Grove. In that game, he passed for 486 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson also rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Caiden Wade, Kosciusko
Like Trivillion, Wade returns as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state as he accounted for double-digit passing and rushing touchdowns. Through the air, Wade completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,402 yards and 22 touchdowns with only three interceptions. On the ground, Wade rushed the ball 107 times for 407 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Championship Leaders
Sullivan Reed, Lamar
The Mississippi State baseball commit has also shown he is one of the top quarterbacks in the state. Last season, Reed completed nearly 56 percent of his passes for 2,409 yards and 26 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. He added 334 more yards on the ground with six touchdowns.
Kross Avent, East Webster
Avent’s numbers might not jump off the stat sheet like some of the other signal callers on this list, but he displayed excellent decision making and leadership qualities as he helped the Wolverines capture the 2A state championship last year. He only completed 90 passes for the entire season, but in those 90 passes, he finished with 1,797 yards with 22 touchdowns. Avent averaged exactly 20 yards per completion which was one of the highest in the state. Lastly, he also rushed for 237 yards and three touchdowns.
Rising Stars
Brady Chancelor, Seminary
Chancelor emerged as one of the state’s top young quarterbacks by passing for over 3,400 yards. He also completed 65 percent of his passes and tossed 28 passing touchdowns. In 2026, he will look to further add to his run game as he rushed for two touchdowns in 2025.
Kobe Payne, Aberdeen
Last season, Payne completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 2,005 yards and 26 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He also rushed for 274 yards and seven touchdowns. His best two-game stretch of 2025 came in the wins over Humphreys County and Booneville. In these two games, Payne passed for 639 yards combined with eight touchdowns.
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