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Dan Mullen: Top 5 Recruiting Misses

By Justin Strawn

Nov 28, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen watches a highlight video during the senior night program before the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Davis Wade Stadium Mississippi won 38-27.. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen watches a highlight video during the senior night program before the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Davis Wade Stadium Mississippi won 38-27.. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 12, 2015; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Tee Shepard (2) carries the ball back against Fresno State Bulldogs wide receiver Keyan Williams (4) after intercepting the ball at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mississippi Rebels beat Fresno State Bulldogs 73 – 21. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Tee Shepard (2) carries the ball back against Fresno State Bulldogs wide receiver Keyan Williams (4) after intercepting the ball at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mississippi Rebels beat Fresno State Bulldogs 73 – 21. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

Number 5: Tee Shepard

This is really the only recruit Dan Mullen didn’t have a backup plan for when he lost out on the highly touted JUCO cornerback. Shepard was expected to sign with the Bulldogs all the way up until we heard out of Oxford he had sent his Letter of Intent to Coach Freeze and his staff.

This one stung more because of the way it played out than anything else. With the anticipation of getting a highly rated player, and for the most part, someone who was considered a lock for most of the recruiting process, to lose him on signing day to Ole Miss really sent many Mississippi State fans into a frenzy.

Evaluating just how much the Bulldogs missed out on with Tee Shepard isn’t very simple. Shepard had a season ending injury before the 2014 season ever began. And early in the 2015 season, Shepard announced he was giving up football because his hearing disability was making it very difficult to play the game.

After the Ole Miss loss to Memphis in 2015, Shepard revealed on Twitter he didn’t think he was treated fairly by the Ole miss coaching staff, and even went as far at one point to say he believed the only reason Ole Miss wanted him was to keep him away from Dan Mullen and Mississippi State.

Tee Shepard recently announced he was transferring to Miami (OH) to finish up his last year of eligibility. The Bulldogs missed out on Shepard, but we really don’t know how much we missed out on simply because Shepard hasn’t been on the field very much since he left the JUCO ranks.

Next: An Explosive Running Back

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