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Dak Prescott, Chris Jones helped Mississippi State improve recruiting profile
By Corey Long
Published:
Mississippi State hasn’t had the same success recruiting five-star prospects as its rivals in Oxford, but the program has greatly improved it’s overall recruiting profile under head coach Dan Mullen.
With the Bulldogs’ public courtship of LSU assistant Ed Orgeron it’s clear that Mullen wants to place an even bigger emphasis on filling his staff with strong recruiters.
Here are the five-star players that have gone to Mississippi State in the last five years:
2011
None (Highest-rated prospect was Dee Arrington)
Dak Prescott, QB: Hard to fathom was Prescott, a three-star prospect, would become in Starkville. He led the Bulldogs to a No. 1 ranking for a couple of weeks and New Year’s Six Bowl in the 2014 season. He was a Heisman finalist and a two-time finalist for the Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was also a finalist for the Maxwell and O’Brien Awards in 2014. Prescott is a two-time All-American and a two-time first team All-SEC performer. He threw for 9,376 yards and 70 touchdowns while rushed for 2,501 yards and 41 touchdowns in his four-year career. It’s safe to say Prescott outplayed his ranking.
2012
None (Highest-rated prospect was Denico Autry … Beniquez Brown was also a four-star prospect in the class)
2013
Chris Jones, DE: Jones is the only five-star prospect that Bulldogs signed in the last five recruiting classes but he was a solid one. Jones played in 39 games (16 starts) with the Bulldogs. He had 102 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks over his career. Jones was a Freshman All-American with several publications in 2013 and a second team All-American for Pro Football Focus in 2015. Jones declared for the 2016 NFL draft after Mississippi State’s bowl victory.
Fred Ross, WR: Another honorable mention goes to Ross, a four-star recruit, that put together a strong 2015 season with 88 receptions for 1,007 yards and five touchdowns. Ross has played for 37 games with 14 starts. Ross was a first-team All-SEC performer on the coaches team and a second-team All-SEC with the AP writers in 2015. Ross still hasn’t decided on whether he will enter the 2016 NFL draft.
2014
None (Highest-rated prospect was Jamoral Graham)
2015
None (Highest-rated prospect was Jamal Peters)
Corey Long is a freelance writer for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Corey on Twitter @CoreyLong.
