Mississippi State had three major in-state targets it wanted to add to the litter on Wednesday morning – 4-star Starkville linebacker Willie Gay, 4-star Morton receiver D.D. Bowie and 3-star Callaway defensive end Aaron Odom.

The Bulldogs nabbed two of them – Bowie surprisingly stuck with Ole Miss – and proclaimed National Signing Day a success.

Overall rank: 24

SEC rank: 9

5-stars: 0

4-stars: 4

3-stars: 18

Once a Rebel, Gay stays home: The 6-foot-1, 223-pound linebacker was the third-rated outside linebacker in the country and No. 73 overall prospect, according to 247Sports. He was the coup of Mississippi State’s class and picked the Bulldogs over LSU, which he said he was silently committed to until the final hours. He spent four months committed to Ole Miss. Despite all the talk about Dan Mullen leaving, he continues to grab some of the state’s top talent away from bigger ponds.

In-state win: Gay wasn’t the only in-state grab, so was Columbus RB Kylin Hill. Both are dynamic playmakers who played high school ball near Starkville, and they are two of the four 4-star recruits in the class. Mullen won the Starkville area, but with the addition of Odom and an already enrolled pair of signees from Pascagoula in DT James Jackson and wide receiver Austin Williams (both from Pascagoula), the Bulldogs got six of the state’s top 24 players, including two of the top five. What that means is more credibility to Mullen’s “Our State” motto. With rival Ole Miss sinking under the NCAA investigation, the Bulldogs took the majority of the best of Mississippi.

Added girth: Mullen addressed the added girth in his afternoon press conference, and he’s right. He added 950 pounds in three 3-star offensive linemen. It’s lengthy girth, too, Cordavien Suggs at 6-foot-6 and Josh Cooper and Montravious Richardson both at 6-foot-7.

What fans will be talking about from the class: If Gay is nearly as good as he has been in high school, he’s the one that will be remembered from the class. Mullen is already talking about Gay being in the rotation in Week 1. He’ll be expected to immediately aid a rushing defense that ranked seventh in the SEC but was largely inconsistent. And he is a ballhawk who can make offensive plays in the passing game.

Odom balanced out a flip: The Bulldogs lost nearby New Hope defensive tackle Taekion Reed to Ole Miss but got Odom on a flip from Louisville. Odom is the state’s top defensive end, and getting him away from Louisville after the Playoff push the Cardinals made wasn’t easy. That speaks to Mullen and staff in the living room.

Lacking pass-catchers: Williams is already enrolled and is the lone wide receiver in the class. Getting Bowie would have been huge for a team losing one of the SEC’s best receivers in Fred Ross, as well as giving quarterback Nick Fitzgerald a big and talented target as he works on his long ball. Ole Miss was the rich getting richer in that department, but the Bulldogs may have balanced that out with their lineman stock.

After losing a season-opener to South Alabama, losing to Kentucky and barely beating Miami Ohio in the St. Petersburg Bowl, to finish with a top 25 recruiting class was a win.