Mississippi State suffers decommitment from elite junior college linebacker
Published:
Mississippi State was just dealt a tough blow on the recruiting front as the nation’s No. 1 junior college inside linebacker has announced his decommitment from Mike Leach’s program on the eve of the Early Signing Period.
Navonteque Strong of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College announced his decision to back off his pledge to the Bulldogs on Tuesday. Strong had been committed to Mississippi State dating back to June 8, 2020.
The Forest, Miss., native is rated as a four-star prospect, the No. 20 overall junior college prospect and the No. 1 inside linebacker recruit in the 2021 recruiting cycle according to 247Sports Composite Rankings.
With Strong reopening his recruitment, Arkansas and LSU are two programs to watch when it comes to his next destination, as the Razorbacks and Tigers have each been in pursuit of the elite junior college prospect.
Here is an updated look at Mississippi State’s class following Strong’s announcement.
Mississippi State’s 2021 Recruiting Class
| Player | Rank/Position | Stars | State |
| Sawyer Robertson | #9 pro-style QB | 4-star | Texas |
| Theodore Knox | #41 receiver | 4-star | Texas |
| Malik Nabers | #45 receiver | 4-star | Louisiana |
| John Lewis | #17 outside linebacker | 4-star | Mississippi |
| MJ Daniels | #26 athlete | 3-star | Mississippi |
| Jacobi Moore | #89 receiver | 3-star | Mississippi |
| DeShawn Page | #1 inside linebacker (JUCO) | 3-star | Mississippi |
| Rodarius Thomas | #136 receiver | 3-star | Alabama |
| Daniel Greek | #34 pro-style QB | 3-star | Texas |
| Timar Rogers | #64 outside linebacker | 3-star | Florida |
| Corey Ellington | #103 receiver | 3-star | Mississippi |
| Albert Reese | #102 offensive tackle | 3-star | Florida |
| Nic Mitchell | #74 outside linebacker | 3-star | Florida |
| Gabe Cavazos | #108 offensive tackle | 3-star | Mississippi |
| Tre’von Marshall | #79 weakside DE | 3-star | Georgia |
| Carson Williams | #5 offensive tackle (JUCO) | 3-star | Mississippi |
| Nick Jones | #7 offensive tackle (JUCO) | 3-star | Mississippi |
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
