'09 FB Class Review: WR

Mardrecas Hood
Ht: 6'3" Wt: 180
Scout	** #159 WR
Rivals	*** #65 ATH, #32 in Alabama
ESPN	76 #107 WR

Hood also had offers from South Alabama, Troy, and Alabama. As a junior Hood had 16 catches for 505 yards (31.5 ypc!) and 6 TDs. Last year Hood recorded 39 catches for 1057 yards (a measly 27.1 ypc. Pffft) and 19 TDs.

Unfortunately for Mississippi State he didn't have the grades. Mardrecas Hood is headed to junior college.

Billy Hamilton
Ht: 5'11" Wt: 170
Scout	** CB
Rivals	** WR
ESPN	73 #159 WR

Hamilton was a two sport star and was probably better in baseball. Cohen would have loved to have him. Offered by Jackson State, Jacksonville State, South Alabama, and Southern Miss. Offered by everyone in baseball. Had 49 receptions for 742 yards and 18 TD catches.

Hamilton got drafted high in the MLB draft though and chose to go that route. Can't say I blame him. Would have been cool to have a two sport athlete in two of the big 3 though.

Brandon Heavens
Ht: 5'10" Wt: 170
Scout	*** #105 WR
Rivals	*** #33 ATH, #15 in Alabama
ESPN	80 #25 WR

Heavens had offers from Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Auburn. He was committed to Auburn but switched to Mississippi State after Mullen was hired. His junior year, Heaven ran for 731 yards and 7 TDs along with 41 catches, 1236 yards and 11 TDs. He was injured during his senior year and only got to play in 6 games. Still had 21 runs for 143 yards and 14 catches for 331 yards and 5 TDs.

Heavens is your prototypical slot WR in the spread. Smaller guy that is quick and can juke you out of your shoes. He'll be moved around, in the slot, in the backfield, direct snaps, etc. The ESPN evaluation has some great video of him. Check it out. They also end their evaluation with this:

Overall, Heavens is an unknown steal for someone and could become a household name in time. He isn't very big, but he's tough and would be a nightmare in the spread.

Bolding is mine. Yep I like it. He'll be playing right off the bat and playing alot. If it weren't for Bumphis (I'll get to him in a second) being in the same class, there is no doubt Heavens would be starting this year.

Leon Berry
Ht: 6'0" Wt: 185
Scout	***
Rivals	*** #58 JUCO
ESPN	Doesn't rank JUCOs

Berry had offers from Arkansas State, North Texas, UAB, Memphis, Marshall, and Southern Miss, whom he was committed to before switching over to MSU. Caught 20 passes for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns his 1st year followed by 39 catches for 661 yards and 5 touchdowns. On top of that Berry returned 2 kickoffs and 1 punt for touchdowns his two years in junior college.

Berry graduated Juco in December and quickly locked down a starting WR position. He is currently battling Brandon McRae for that job. Win or lose he'll be counted on as a major contributor at one of the outside receiver positions. He has good speed but isn't a burner or a shifty guy. Probably closer to the possession receiver end of the spectrum. He may also win the return man job. With the departure of Pegues and the fact Croom could never manage to find a kickoff return man, both jobs are wide open for the taking.

Ricco Sanders
Ht: 5'11" Wt: 175
Scout	*** #89 WR
Rivals	*** #51 WR, #19 in South Carolina
ESPN	80 #26 WR

Video!!


Sanders chose Mississippi State over offers from Kansas, Clemson, Auburn, Georgia, Florida State, and Florida. Caught 58 passes for 908 yards and 13 TDs his junior year and 42 passes for 765 yards and 6 TDs.

Sanders is another one of those small, shift slot WRs in the same mold as Brandon Heavens. I don't like the drop in production from his junior to senior year but there may be injury issues I don't know about. Besides the offer list says the guy is pretty good. More video can be viewed in his ESPN evaluation if you are so inclined.

The unfortunate thing is the NCAA clearing house took forever to get around to clearing Sanders to play so he couldn't begin practicing last week. Even though he is clearly talented and MSU could desperately use all the help they can get at WR, Sanders is probably destined for a redshirt now. Just too far behind.

Chris Smith
Ht: 6'1" Wt: 195
Scout	*** #65 WR
Rivals	**** #31 WR, #204 overall, #7 in Mississippi
ESPN	77 #63 WR

Smith didn't have any other major offers that I can see, which is a real head scratcher when you look at how highly rated he was and the stats I'm about to give you. Smith was Tyler Russell's teammate and his favorite target at Meridian. He had 54 catches for 876 yards and 7 TDs his junior year and 70 receptions for 1076 yards and 10 TDs and the state title team. And this guy doesn't have any offers? I don't get it. Sure he committed back in April of his junior year but come on.

Smith is a contrast to most of the receivers in this class as he is a big, physical possession receiver. He doesn't have the quickness or speed of some of these other guys but he has the size, the hands, and the willingness to go over the middle. The complete lack of offers is disconcerting but I just have to think this guy is going to be a player. Maybe not this year but at some point down the road.

Chad Bumphis
Ht: 5'10" Wt: 185
Scout	**** #33 WR, #263 overall
Rivals	**** #16 WR, #109 overall, #3 in Mississippi
ESPN	81 #10 ATH, #119 overall

Video at his ESPN evaluation.

Bumphis is the gold standard of this incoming WR group. He had offers from pretty much everywhere: Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Michigan, Auburn, Texas Tech, etc. His senior year he threw for 348 yards and 6 TDs, ran for 552 yards and 6 TDs on 48 carries, and caught 39 passes for 617 yards and 7 TDs.

He is yet another one of those prototypical slot receiver and clearly the one with the most potential of the bunch. Its clear that Mullen is going to use him in the Percy Harvin role. Not saying he will be as good as Harvin but that will be the hope. He'll be split out in the slot, lined up beside the QB, run out of direct snaps, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him throw a pass or two. Long story short, Bumphis is an electrifying athlete that Mullen will be looking for ways to get the ball to from day one. He is the type of offensive weapon that has rarely been seen in Starkville over the years and the kind of athlete Mullen needs to make this spread offense go.


Overall Grade: A+

MSU was barren at the WR position in both quantity and quality and this great group of receivers will be counted on to save the day. Most if not all of these guys will have to grow up quick as they'll be playing right away. There just isn't any other joice. Fortunately this group coming in is loaded with talent.

'09 FB Class Review: DB

Dennis Thames
Ht: 5'11" Wt: 185
Scout	*** #40 S
Rivals	**** #20 ATH, #10 in Mississippi
ESPN	78 #58 ATH

Dennis Thames had offers from Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama, and Michigan. He played RB, WR, and S in high school and excelled at all three. Last year Thames had 97 tackles, 5 interceptions, and four defensive TDs. On offense he ran the ball for 677 yards and 8 TDs to go along with 532 yards receiving and 8 more TDs. Bottomline, he is a playmaker.

Thames was all set to play safety, but then Mullen saw the garbage that Croom left him at WR and so Thames will play there at least his freshman year. I'm leaving him at safety though in this review because I suspect once Mullen gets some more bodies in at WR, Thames will be moved back to safety. Of course if Thames excels at WR, which is entirely possible, he will stay there no matter how many WRs Mullen recruits.

You can check out some video of Thames at his ESPN evaluation.

Nickoe Whitley
Ht: 5'11" Wt: 185
Scout	*** #80 S
Rivals	*** #74 ATH, #22 in Mississippi
ESPN	73 #170 S

Whitley also had offers from Ole Miss and Southern Miss. Nickoe might actually be underrated. He tore his ACL and MCL in his second game of his senior year and missed the rest of the season. Hard to move anywhere but down in the ratings when you don't play. On the flip side, you don't know how that injury will affect him in the future.

Whitley played QB and defensive back in high school. One of those situations you see so often in Mississippi, and high school football in general really, where the best athlete on the team is put at QB. He'll be a safety here though. Whitley had 40 tackles and 5 interceptions his junior year and had returned a fumble 55 yards for a touchdown his senior year.

The big question is how good will Whitley be after that injury? Will he be the same player or is this one of those situations where he just is never quite the same again? I'd have to think he is almost certain to redshirt.

Cameron Lawrence
Ht: 6'2" Wt: 205
Scout	*** #84 S
Rivals	*** #50 ATH, #15 in Mississippi
ESPN	79 #41 ATH

Cameron Lawrence had offers from Louisiana-Monroe, Duke, Southern Miss, and Oklahoma St. Lawrence is another guy that played QB as well as in the secondary. Last year he had 57 tackles and 13.5 sacks playing defense.

Lawrence graduated early and came in during the spring. The coaches tried him out some at both quarterback and wide receiver but now he is settled in at his more natural position of safety. He has great size for a safety and could end up at LB down the road if he adds a few pounds. ESPN practically drools over him in their evaluation. Now ESPN's evaluations all tend to be ridiculously positive, but this one even more so than usual.

Jonathan Banks
Ht: 6'2" Wt: 175
Scout	*** #69 S
Rivals	*** #63 ATH, #23 in Mississippi
ESPN	80 #27 ATH

From what I can tell, Banks didn't have any other Div IA scholarship offers. Which is contradictory to his ratings and numbers. Now part of this is he committed back in March of his junior year. That tends to make people shy away, but if a team wants you bad enough, they won't let a commitment slow them down. If I'm not mistaken he plays for a smaller school so that might factor into it as well

Banks played a similar role to Whitley, playing both offense (QB/WR) and defense (S/LB) in high school. He'll be playing defense here at MSU and looks like he'll be starting out at CB due to a lack of numbers there but may end up at safety eventually as he is probably a better fit there. Banks had 35 tackles and 7 interceptions his senior season.

Banks is supposed to be supremely athletic and a big hitter but that was at a small school and poor competition. Nearly every game he was the best player on the field, now he will probably never again be the best player on the field. How does he adjust? Should be a candidate for a redshirt but thin numbers at both CB and S could dictate he play.

Maurice Langston
Ht: 5'11" Wt: 185
Scout	**** WR
Rivals	*** CB
ESPN	Doesn't rate JUCOs

Langston had offers from North Texas, Troy, UAB, Memphis, and Kentucky. He originally signed with Arkansas State 3 years ago, redshirted his freshman year, then went to junior college for a couple of years. He started out as a cornerback last year, which is what position he is coming to MSU as, but moved to receiver mid-season due to the teams need and excelled. On top of that he is a skilled kick returner. Last year Langston caught 44 passes for 658 yards and seven TDs, ran for 267 yards and 10 TDs on 54 carries, and returned 2 punts and one kickoff for TDs. You can see he is a playmaker

Unfortunately Langston was a moron and was selling weed either back in the spring or early summer. Or at least he is accused of that. He is still on the team but is not practicing and no further decision on his future will be made until a legal outcome has been established. Translation: he won't be playing this year, or at least not very much. He will just be too far behind with missing so many practices. Seeing as how he has already used his redshirt, the best case scenario is he helps the team on the field for one year.

Darius Slay
Ht: 6'0" Wt: 180
Scout	** #116 RB
Rivals	** WR
ESPN	76 #109 S

Slay had offers from Kentucky and Troy. He did a little bit of everything in high school and may have ended up at cornerback, safety, wide receiver, or kick returner at Mississippi State. He didn't have the grades though and will have to go to junior college. We'll see if he comes back around in a couple of years.

Overall Grade: B-

If you look at just safeties this is a good haul, and becomes a fantastic group if Thames eventually winds up at safety. A definite A+ with Thames and A- without. Either way safety is in good shape in the future. Cornerbacks are DBs too though and this position doesn't look so hot. There is some uncertainty that could help the cornerbacks out though. Does Banks stick at cornerback? Will Langston get his head out of his butt or is it already too late for him? If Banks and Langston end up at CB then things aren't so bad, it is still a pretty mediocre group though. On the other hand there is the potential for there to be not a single cornerback in this class and with a measly four CBs on the current roster, one being a senior, that would be an absolute disaster.

'09 FB Class Review: RB

Montrell Conner
Ht: 6'2" Wt: 215
Scout	**** #31 RB, #277 overall
Rivals	*** #34 ATH, #18 in Louisiana
ESPN	82 #7 RB, #63 overall

Conner had offers from pretty much everyone: Southern Miss, Ole Miss, TCU, Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, etc. Full disclosure though, many of those offers were for Conner to come in as a LB. That is what helped MSU get him, they're going to give him a shot at RB.

His junior year Montrell Conner split time with the starter and still ran for 1,139 yards on 205 carries (5.6 ypc) and 13 TDs. The following year Conner took over the starting job and carried the ball 247 times for 1,951 yards (7.9 ypc) and 19 TDs.

Like I said Conner is coming in as a RB and is clearly quite skilled in that department judging by the numbers. Its comforting to know though that if RB doesn't work out he was just as highly thought of. As a runner Conner isn't a shifty kind of guy. He doesn't juke, doesn't move well laterally, doesn't have much in the way of evasive movesm, and doesn't look very fluid. He is purely a straight north-south runner. What he does excel at is running over people and breaking arm tackles. He is a bruiser, not an elusive runner. You can see a video of him at ESPN here. When I watch him, what comes to mind is "I wish Dixon would run like this for once." There is no dancing, no useless juking, no sideline to sideline running. He just hits the hole full speed, runs straight ahead and dares anyone to try and tackle him. He knows his strengths and sticks to them.

LaDarius Perkins
Ht: 5'9" Wt: 185
Scout	*** #77 RB
Rivals	*** #37 all purpose back, #24 in MS
ESPN	78 #48 ATH

Perkins had offers from Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, BYU, and Auburn. He originally committed to Auburn but decommited at the last minute when Mullen took over. His senior year Perkins ran for 1,915 yards on 139 carries ( 13.8 ypc!!) and 29 TDs.

Perkins is pretty much just the opposite of Conner. He isn't a power back and won't be running through half as many tackles. What he is is elusive, quick, shifty, and fast. He'll play RB but I'm sure he will be split at in the slot frequently. For some reason, despite the rankings and offers I am more excited about Perkins than Conner. Maybe it is because he seems to be a much better fit in the spread. He just looks like your typical spread RB.

Rather than talk about him though, we have video! Judge for yourself. Turn the sound off. You're welcome.

William Shumpert
Ht: 6'0" Wt: 238
Scout	*** #14 FB
Rivals	*** #7 FB, #17 in Mississippi
ESPN	74 #22 FB

Shumpert had offers from Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, and Ole Miss. In high school he played both DE/DT and FB. His senior season, Shumpert made 96 tackles, 31 for loss, and 13.5 sacks. On offense he ran for 278 yards on 56 carries (5 ypc) and three TDs to go with 5 receptions for 81 yards and a TD.

Shumpert is starting out on offense at RB/FB. Although he is supposed to be a terrific blocker he might have trouble breaking through there. The primarily blocking FB rarely makes an appearance in Mullen's offense. If he can prove his value running, even if its only in short yardage situations, or catching the ball out of the backfield to go along with his blocking then Mullen will find a place for him. Although the smaller, shifty guys tend to excel in this offense, there is still plenty of room for a big bruising RB. Even if offense doesn't work out though , he still might be able to make the move to the DL. Heck, that might even be a better fit.

Overall Grade: A+

Yes A+. Mississippi State loses 3 runningbacks after this year so they really need to hit a homerun in this class, and they did. Conner is highly thought of by everyone and while Perkins doesn't have the offers, his skill set is perfect for the new offense. On top of that you get two very distinct and unique styles and skill sets. I'm not sure how or if Shumpert fits in on offense. It will all depend on how Mullen decides to use the FB. Shumpert is the only scholarship FB at this time and we know Mullen is much more creative than Croom so I'm not counting Shumpert out.

Dakota Merritt Leaves Team

Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Dakota Merritt has left the team. It isn't clear whether he is transferring or simply giving up football and staying at MSU. Probably doesn't affect this year that much except now MSU will only have 13 scholarship OL which is a little lower than you would like. However Mullen will have to hit OL hard in recruiting the rest of this year. 3 OL is probably the minimum needed now instead of 2.

'09 FB Class Review: LB

Chris White
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 235
Scout	****
Rivals	*** #64 JC
ESPN	Doesn't grade jucos

Chris White is a bit of a puzzling story. As a freshman in junior college, White had 87 tackles. Last year he had 113 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 interception, and 2 fumbles returned for touchdowns. He enrolled in the spring semester and quickly locked down the open OLB job vacated by the departed Dominic Douglas. Nothing has changed thus far in fall practices and White will be starting come September 5th. Now comes the head scratcher, his other scholarship offers were from South Alabama and South Florida.

So whats the deal? Did everyone else just whiff on him? I almost never subscribe to that theory but when he comes in and wins the starting job so easily . . . Look I know MSU isn't loaded with talent, but the LBs behind K.J. Wright and Jamar Chaney are decent. I'm cautiously optimistic but the lack of offers does give me pause. White played MLB in junior college but will be playing OLB at MSU.

Deontae Skinner
Ht: 6'1" Wt: 234
Scout	*** #28 SLB
Rivals	*** #39 Weakside DE, #19 in Mississippi
ESPN	74 #111 DE

Skinner is a bit of a DE/LB hybrid. He would probably be a good fit as a 3-4 OLB but seeing as how MSU doesn't run a 3-4, that won't be his fate. I suspect he will eventually end up a DE, where he played his senior year of high school but he will at least start at LB so that is where I'm putting him.

Deontae Skinner held offers from Southern Miss and Ole Miss. Skinner had 122 tackles and 5 sacks as a junior, followed up with 134 tackles, 28 TFL, and 11 sacks his senior year.

Skinner seems like a prime candidate for a redshirt, regardless of whether he ends up at DE or LB. Just too many bodies in front of him.


Overall Grade: B-

The problem here is MSU may have only brought in one LB. True there are a fair number already on the team (seven) and only one leaves after this year (Jamar Chaney) but I still feel State could have used at least one if not two more LBs besides Skinner. Secondly I feel pretty good about White's talent level. Actually I feel very good about it but the lack of scholarships is something that kind of hangs in the back of my mind. If White doesn't pan out and Skinner ends up at DE, MSU may have problems at LB the next couple of years. After Chaney and Wright, the linebackers are decent but nothing to write home about. They still have time to develop so we'll see.

Terrance Davis and Delmon Robinson Transferring.

Look, transfers are just part of a coaching change. Its inevitable, even when you go from an incompetent one like Croom to Mullen its still going to happen, but couldn't someone besides two WRs leave? Outside of QB, no position can less handle the departure of two players. Plus the fact that the two were battling it out for the last of three starting jobs. Robinson looked pretty good last year when Croom remembered to put him in the game and Davis was the 2nd best WR in the spring game. Both their skills were nice fits for the slot WR position.

Not sure why they left. Both were guarenteed lots of playing time and little competition with the increased number of WRs used in this offense and the barren wasteland that is our returning WRs. With their departure, MSU now has two returning WRs that have ever caught a pass in a Div I game. One of those is Arceto Clark with a whopping 3 catches for 11 yards. . . You better be ready to go Bumphis. You are going to be playing this year . . . alot.

'09 FB Class Review: QB

Tyler Russell
Ht: 6'4 Wt: 205
Scout	**** #13 QB, #125 overall
Rivals	**** #12 pro-style QB, #8 in MS, #217 overall
ESPN	77 #38 QB

Ah yes, Mr. Russell. Even the most casual of recruiting followers have heard of Tyler by now. He comes in at a position that is by far the worst in the SEC. Not only does Mississippi State need bodies, there are a total of two QBs on the roster outside Tyler, they need talent, neither Tyson Lee or Chris Relf would start for another SEC team. Tyler Russell takes care of both of those problems.

The expectations are sky high for Tyler. The entire MSU fanbase is looking at him as the savior of the program. I don't personally see him as the the savior of Mississippi State football and I find it unfortunate that the majority of fans are putting that kind of pressure and expectation on him before he even takes a snap. They are setting it up where people will call him a bust if he isn't starting by the end of the year, or if he isn't All-SEC by the time he leaves. That is ridiculous and frankly idiotic. Though I do understand where people are coming from. Russell is the highest rated QB in years and probably one of the top QB prospects to ever come to MSU. He plays a position that has been historically horrible for MSU and which amazingly got worse during the last 5 years. Only Croom could produce that feat. After 5 straight years of having the worst QBs in the SEC and possibly of any BCS team, people are hungry for a change. Tyler has the talent and upside to be one of the best to come through MSU, but as we all know recruiting is a crap shoot and nothing is ever guarenteed.

Tyler Russell had offers from South Carolina and Alabama. As a junior Russell led Meridian to the state semifinals, completing 146-274 (53.3%) for 2,481 yards, 26 touchdowns and just 8 interceptions. He also ran for 514 yards and 5 TDs. Although that is a very good and maybe even great year, it was his senior year that the legend of Tyler Russell (among MSU fans at least) really began to grow. He led Meridian to the state title game in which they defeated powerhouse South Panola 26-20, ending South Panola's 89-game win streak and taking home the state title. Russell completed 206-314 passes (65.6%) for 3,284 yards, 40 TDs and only 5 interceptions. He was named Mississippi's Mr. Football and the Gatorade Player of the Year.

The only downside is that Russell is a pocket quarterback. He isn't a statue by any means but he isn't a dual threat either. Traditionally Mullen has used mobile QBs so we'll see how he adjusts the offense to fit Russell's talents, because there is no doubt Russell will be the most talented QB on the roster next year and maybe for the next 4/5 years as well. Mullen has to find a way to use him effectively.

Overall Grade: A

The only thing keeping this from being an A+ is the lack of a second QB. Despite what Croom has led you to believe over the last 5 years, you need more than 3 QBs on the team. In any case, the one QB that is coming is top notch and thankfully Croom was kicked out before he could ruin him. With a real QB coach to work with, Russell will have a chance to maximize his talents. I think ideally Mullen will want to redshirt Russell. Unfortunately thanks to 5 years of Croom the QB situation is far from ideal and Mullen might not be able to. Whether its due to Russell being that impressive and passing up Lee and Relf, or Lee and Relf are so bad that Mullen has to play Russell by default, or maybe some combination of the two. I see Russell sitting the first part of the year but I think he'll be getting some meaningful snaps in the last 6 games with a slim chance at taking away the starting job midseason.

'09 FB Class Review: DL

Fletcher Cox
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 238
Scout	**** #17 DE, #154 overall
Rivals	**** #5 Weakside DE, #2 in Mississippi, #94 overall
ESPN	78 #36 DE

Fletcher Cox had offers from pretty much everywhere including Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Colorado, Auburn, Alabama, and LSU. Cox's strength is his speed and quickness which hopefully will bring some bite to a DL that has had no pass rush ability outside Titus Brown this decade. He is credited with running a ridiculous 4.47, undoubtedly fake but even so (he does run track though so who knows?), tack on a couple of tenths and you still get a 4.67 at DE. I'll take it. Rivals did these skill rankings for each position group. One for DE was "quickest first step". Cox ranked #4 on that list. His junior year, Cox had 103 tackles, 11 sacks, and 2 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. He followed up that stellar season with 104 tackles, 14 for loss, 10 sacks, an interception and 3 forced fumbles. Cox might not get much playing time this year because of all the DEs on the roster. He may even redshirt, but if things go well he will finally give MSU a legitimate pass rushing threat at DE in a couple of years.

Pernell McPhee
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 265
Scout	**** DE, #21 JUCO
Rivals	**** #3 JUCO
ESPN	Doesn't rank JUCOs

The defensive line is getting immediate help in Pernell McPhee. McPhee graduated early from junior college and participated in spring practice. Almost immediately he nailed down a starting spot, although at DT instead of DE where he played in high school and junior college. For some reason David Turner moves DEs to DT as soon as they hit about 260 lbs. I don't know why, maybe nobody ever told him that a good DE weight is anywhere from 240-270 or so. Anyway, McPhee will probably get moved around ala McCraney last year, lining up at DE or DT depending on the situation. McPhee immediately becomes our biggest pass rushing threat. He is a sack specialist, no two ways about it.

His senior year of high school, McPhee had 75 tackles, 35 for loss, and 19 sacks. He had offers from Central Florida, South Florida, and Southern Miss, whom he signed with out of high school before going the JUCO route. In junior college McPhee exploded onto the scene leading the junior college ranks in sacks in both 2007 and 2008. He had 67 tackles, 37 for loss, and 19.5 sacks his freshman year. The following season McPhee had 57 tackles, 23.5 for loss, and 13.5 sacks. I suspect he got doubled team more than a few times that year. Coming out of junior college McPhee had offers from Kansas St., Kentucky, Illinois, West Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Michigan.

Johnathan McKenzie
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 235
Scout	**
Rivals	**
ESPN	73 #134 DE

Project. Big time project. McKenzie would be another member of the Croom all-character team. Given the caliber of the rest of the recruits coming in at DL I can accept that. Mississippi State was McKenzie's only signifigant (i.e I-A) scholarship offer. He could wind up at TE or DE but Mullen is going to start him out at DE. As a TE his senior year he had 27 receptions for 473 yards and 6 TDs. As a DE Mckenzie had 91 tackles and 13 sacks. His stats are fairly impressive but the problem is Mckenzie played for Starkville Academy. Academy ball isn't exactly the stiffest competition so Mckenzie's biggest hurdle will be adjusting to the monumental jump in competition. Don't expect anything from him for a couple of years at least.

Josh Boyd
Ht: 6'3" Wt: 275
Scout	**** #12 DT, #102 overall
Rivals	**** #15 DT, #6 in Mississippi, #180 overall
ESPN	78 #37 DT

Josh Boyd passes the offer test, with Ole Miss, Auburn, Florida State, Miami, Tennesse, Alabama, LSU, and Michigan all extending scholarship offers.

Boyd racked up 154 tackles, 27 for loss, and eight sacks his junior year. Last year Boyd had 112 tackles, 10 for loss, and 7 sacks. The severe drop in production is concerning although that junior year is so ridiculous that somewhat of a drop is understandable. He also plays in a lower division so the effect that the dramatic jump in competition has will be something to watch for.

Rivals also rated him as the 4th best athlete and 4th best pass rusher at DT. Their is that pass rushing theme again. Its about time this need was addressed. Boyd would make a good DE in a 3-4 scheme so we might see some moving around from him in specialty situations, the bulk of the work will be at DT though.

He'll probably redshirt just because DTs are rarely ready as freshmen, similar to OL in that respect. He has a better than average shot at playing time though because the talent at DT is so lacking.

Overall Grade: A

Finally we get some pass rushing ability on the DL. McPhee will be starting right off the bat and will probably be the best DL on the team the next two years. Cox isn't ready yet but his athleticism is outstanding, just polish up the techniques and he should be a good one. McKenzie might have been a reach but you can afford a project type here and there. Finally Boyd brings some much needed help at a talent depleted DT position, and hopefully some ability to pressure the QB. Currently there is zero pass rush threat at DT (outside McPhee), even though David Turner moves about half of all the DE's that come in here to DT. I think he'd move every single one to DT if he could. The only thing keeping this from being an A+ is the lack of a second DT (I'm not counting McPhee, he is a hybrid and would be a DE anywhere else in the country).

'09 FB Class Review: OL

Gabriel Jackson
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 295
Scout	*** #52 OT
Rivals	*** #85 OT, #28 in Mississippi
ESPN	74 #124 OT

Ah, the offensive line. No stats and notoriously difficult to evaluated for the future, even for coaches nevermind someone like me. So this will be short yes? Yes. The weight I've shown above might not be accurate. That is around the area the consensus hovered around back in October. Now I'm seeing much more in the 310-320 pound range. The point is he is a big dude. Most are projecting him as a tackle but his height suggests guard to me. 6'4 is a little short for a tackle though they are out there. More often at schools like MSU that can't get the prototypical OT, so yeah. Jackson also held offers from Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Auburn, and LSU. The offers and the ratings say a very good pick up by MSU standards.

Sam Watts
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 290
Scout	*** #66 OT
Rivals	*** #12 C, #50 in Georgia
ESPN	75 #18 C

VIDEO!!



Watts was the first commitment of this class, joining up back in February. . . of 2008. Alot of what I read about him is more about how good of a guy he is than how good of a player he is. Anyway, his stock went up during his senior year, but I can't find any other scholarship offers for him. Likely partly due to the ridiculously early commitment, but also partly due to his talent. I'm kind of meh on him for now. I'll admit it is my bias showing through. After 5 years of Captain Character, hearing about how good a kid is just isn't going to cut it for me anymore. I want the horses to start kicking some ass.


Overall Grade: C+

I wavered on what grade to give here. I went with the harsher end of the spectrum. Only two lineman from last year moved on (not counting Alford) and only one was a starter so in that sense I can see OL not being a big need. But now we only have 14 OL (Feld is purely a long snapper, nothing more) and I would like to see at least 15 if not 16 total. On top of that the OL has been bad for years. It needs an infusion of talent. Basically it was the numbers game that yielded the final grade. Jackson looks like a good and Watts looks like a flier on a project. I don't mind that combination, especially on the OL. However, the lack of one if not two more recruits at this position is cause for concern though. Mullen needs to hit the OL hard in the upcoming year. Three will be the bare minimum.

Eric Richards Gone

According to Veazy, kicker Eric Richards is leaving the team due to medical reasons. Probably not a significant loss. It looks like Brauchle would have won the kicking duties regardless.