In the coming weeks, SDS will grade each team’s current state of recruiting based upon the factors listed below. Today we continue the series with one the SEC’s surprises from 2014, the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

HOME-STATE TALENT: B

Mississippi State has done well at the high school level in the last several years, with the Bulldogs holding their own against in-state rival Ole Miss to claim a fair share of the state’s best high school prospects every year. The top-rated recruits in every class hail from Mississippi, with 2015 as the most recent example, as four of the Bulldogs six highest-rated signees came from Mississippi high schools.

The state also has the strongest junior college circuit in the nation, an area where Dan Mullen and his staff have improved. Quite literally the entire nation plumbs the Mississippi JUCO ranks, but the Bulldogs still came up with two of the top three players in the state this year, no doubt a result of their success on the field in 2014. MSU has plucked at least one top Mississippi JUCO player in the last four years.

RECENT SUCCESS: C+

The Bulldogs still consistently rank in the bottom-third of the SEC in recruiting, with a few instances of jumping into the conference’s top-10 breaking up the lower finishes. Still, where they’ve been the last few years has been a vast improvement over the years before Mullen arrived. From 2005-08, MSU averaged a finished of No. 38 in the nation. That has steadily improved, with Mullen pulling in a recruiting class that, on average, has ranked No. 26. That’s a measurable improvement, with 2015’s class the highest ranked of all of Mullen’s classes yet, but it’s still not good enough to make the Bulldogs a consistent SEC contender.

FAN SATISFACTION: B

The Bulldogs are mostly trending in the right direction. Mullen has recruited better than any of his predecessors, which has led to the longest sustained success in MSU history; the Bulldogs’ streak of five straight bowl appearances is the longest in school history. If Mullen builds on 2014’s success and continues to improve his recruiting every year, Mississippi State will be better positioned in the SEC than ever before.

COACHING STABILITY: B+

A year ago, Mullen was very squarely on the hot seat. Dak Prescott probably saved Mullen’s job with his heroic play in the 2013 Egg Bowl, and if the Bulldogs had struggled early in 2014 there’s no telling whether Mullen would still be employed. Yet here he is, entering 2015 with a raise after several high-profile schools reportedly showed interest in him. While Mullen had to replace defensive coordinator as Geoff Collins, he brought in a coach that has familiarity with the program in Manny Diaz, who will embark on his second stint as DC under Mullen.

Sum it up: Mississippi State is still not in the class of the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and LSU in the SEC, but the Bulldogs are trending the right way.

Editor’s note: Any reference to recruiting ratings in this series – team or individual – are to 247Sports’ industry composite ranking.

At the end of the series we will rank the SEC’s recruiting situations from 1-14 based on the grades we assign each program.