One of the Mississippi’s top prospects is staying home.

Nathan Pickering may have had his choice of colleges to attend coming out of high school, but in the end, the pull to stay in-state and play for Mississippi State won out for the big defensive lineman from Seminary. Pickering was scheduled to officially visit Alabama this weekend, the final weekend leading up to 2019 National Signing Day, but instead announced on Thursday that he is shutting down his recruitment to all schools outside of MSU.

This is a big win for Joe Moorhead’s program and Bob Shoop’s defense as the Bulldogs will be replacing some serious talent on the defensive line next season and Pickering will likely be called upon to play a role on the defense next season. The news was additionally good for Mississippi State considering Pickering would have likely chosen to attend Alabama or LSU if he didn’t sign with Hail State.

Pickering announced the news with the following tweet:

https://twitter.com/TheRealNathan22/status/1091179420986019840

The 6-foot-3, 286-pound Pickering is rated as a four-star prospect, the No. 6 defensive tackle in the nation and a top 80 overall recruit in the nation by 247Sports Composite Rankings. Pickering was also a 2019 Under Armour All-American selection coming out of high school. He is also the second-highest rated prospect in Mississippi State’s top 25-rated 2019 recruiting class.

To get an idea of why the Mississippi lineman is so coveted across the SEC, check out his Seminary High School highlight reel: