Assessing Mississippi State’s 2015 recruiting class so far
By Ethan Levine
Published:
Mississippi State has followed up its first 10-win regular season in 70 years with one of the most promising 2015 recruiting classes in the nation, and one of the best in the program’s recent history.
The Bulldogs current class, featuring 28 hard commitments, ranks 15th in the nation according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. However, that same class ranks just eighth out of 14 teams in the SEC, but such is life in the toughest conference in the nation.
Mississippi State has seven four-star recruits in its current class; last year MSU had three among its 20 enrollees. Last year’s class also lacked a single top-200 recruit, while this year’s class contains four such prospects.
The class is headed by safety Jamal Peters, the No. 45 player in the nation according to 247. Peters is head coach Dan Mullen’s only top-100 recruit as of Dec. 11, but he’s also received commitments from three top-100 junior college transfers — wideout Donald Gray (No. 5), linebacker Traver Jung (No. 40) and defensive end Johnathan Calvin (No. 77).
Mullen has continued to recruit the state of Mississippi hard, as 15 of his 28 commitments hail from the Magnolia State, including six of his seven four-star prospects and all three of his top-100 junior college transfers.
Here’s a full breakdown of Mississippi State’s recruiting class as of Dec. 11, followed by a list of MSU’s commitments.
Mississippi State 2015 recruiting class
Commitments: 28; on Offense: 12; on Defense: 12; Athletes: 4; In-State: 15; Out-of-State: 13; Four-star Prospects: 7; Three-star Prospects: 21; Top 100 H.S.: 1; Top 300 H.S.: 4; Top 100 Juco: 3
By Position — QB: 1; RB: 4; WR: 4; OT: 2; C: 1; DE: 4; DT: 1; OLB: 3; CB: 2; S: 2; ATH: 4
By State — Miss.: 15; Ala.: 7; Tenn.: 3; Ga.: 1; Fla.: 1; Mo.: 1
| NAT RK | PLAYER | H.S. (CITY, STATE) | STAR | POS | HT | WT |
| 45 | Jamal Peters | Bassfield (Bassfield, Miss.) | 4 | S | 6’3” | 200 |
| 165 | Malik Dear | Murrah (Jackson, Miss.) | 4 | ATH | 5’9” | 210 |
| 5 JC | Donald Gray | Copiah-Lincioln C.C. (Wesson, Miss.) | 4 | WR | 5’9” | 185 |
| 200 | Fletcher Adams | Brandon (Brandon, Miss.) | 4 | DT | 6’3” | 260 |
| 283 | Tommy Champion | Callaway (Jackson, Miss.) | 4 | OT | 6’5” | 285 |
| 307 | Nick Gibson | Pinson Valley (Pinson, Ala.) | 4 | RB | 5’11” | 197 |
| 323 | Timothy Washington | Yazoo City (Yazoo City, Miss.) | 4 | OLB | 6’3” | 200 |
| 371 | Maurice Smitherman | Minor (Adamsville, Ala.) | 3 | CB | 5’9” | 178 |
| 438 | Dontea Jones | Louisville (Louisville, Miss.) | 3 | WR | 6’4” | 230 |
| 439 | Darryl Williams | Bessemer City (Bessemer, Ala.) | 3 | C | 6’4” | 304 |
| 499 | Kentavious Thomas | Baldwin (Milledgeville, Ga.) | 3 | RB | 5’11” | 205 |
| 510 | Deddrick Thomas | Memphis Central (Memphis, Tenn.) | 3 | ATH | 5’9” | 170 |
| 40 JC | Traver Jung | Holmes C.C. (Goodman, Miss.) | 3 | OLB | 6’4” | 215 |
| 629 | Cameron Myers | Oak Grove (Hattiesburg, Miss.) | 3 | ATH | 6’2” | 185 |
| 648 | Kendell Jones | Clay-Chalkville (Pinson, Ala.) | 3 | DE | 6’4” | 240 |
| 650 | Chris Stamps | Warren Central (Vicksburg, Miss.) | 3 | CB | 6’1” | 170 |
| 688 | Alec Murphy | Nixa (Nixa, Mo.) | 3 | RB | 6’1” | 222 |
| 784 | Keith Mixon | Shades Valley (Birmingham, Ala.) | 3 | RB | 5’8” | 165 |
| 791 | Harrison Moon | Signal Mountain (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) | 3 | OT | 6’5” | 270 |
| 795 | Keith Joseph | Pascagoula (Pascagoula, Miss.) | 3 | DE | 6’3” | 240 |
| 811 | Nick Tiano | Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) | 3 | QB | 6’5” | 230 |
| 814 | Mark McLaurin | Collins (Collins, Miss.) | 3 | S | 6’3” | 200 |
| 853 | Darrien McNair | Trinity Catholic (Ocala, Fla.) | 3 | OLB | 6’2” | 223 |
| 882 | Justin Johnson | Hoover (Birmingham, Ala.) | 3 | WR | 6’4” | 205 |
| 894 | Jonas Spivey | Bay Springs (Bay Springs, Miss.) | 3 | ATH | 6’0” | 180 |
| N/A | Anfernee Mullins | Aliceville (Aliceville, Ala.) | 3 | DE | 6’4” | 232 |
| 77 JC | Johnathan Calvin | Copiah-Lincoln C.C. (Wesson, Miss.) | 3 | DE | 6’4” | 250 |
| N/A | Farrod Green | Wesson (Wesson, Miss.) | 3 | WR | 6’4” | 223 |
(NOTE: JC indicates a junior college transfer.)
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
