Mississippi State flips 4-star pass-rusher from Missouri for big Signing Day win

Mississippi State football got a massive win on the recruiting trail just a few days before the start of the Early Signing Period by flipping 5-star safety Bralan Womack. The Bulldogs got another big win on National Signing Day to further strengthen their defense.

4-star (0.9086) edge rusher Micah Nickerson from Magnolia, MS flipped his commitment to Mississippi State from Missouri. The 6-5, 215 South Pike High School product was previously committed to the Bulldogs but flipped to Missouri. Now Nickerson, considered the No. 13 player in the state and No. 29 player at his position per the 247 Sports Composite, is back on board with the Bulldogs.

Micah Nickerson has gone from an under the radar gem to a coveted prospect in just a matter of months. Mississippi State was the first SEC program to offer him back in June. He committed to the Bulldogs shortly after. At the time, he was considered just a mid-tier 3-star prospect.

Soon after, though, others began to see what the Bulldogs saw. Missouri would offer Nickerson, and that was enticing enough that he would decommit from MSU and flip to the Tigers in late September. MSU stayed after him, looking to bring him back into the fold while more SEC programs in Auburn and Ole Miss also pushed to flip him.

Leading into the Early Signing Period there was smoke that Mississippi State was in a good position to flip Micah Nickerson back to them. Sure enough, the Bulldogs were able to sign the 4-star pass-rush specialist, giving them another high-level defensive talent in the class.

And he could still prove to be underrated. Some are even higher on Nickerson's potential at the next level, and if he reaches his potential, he could prove to be a terror for opposing QBs. He'll certainly need to bulk up his frame before he's ready to be a regular contributor at the SEC level, But the skillset is there to be a dominant edge defender.

And that's something Mississippi State desperately needs. The Bulldogs have generated minimal pass-rush over these last two seasons, and it's nearly impossible to have defensive success when QBs have all day in the pocket. Micah Nickerson doesn't just give the Bulldogs a great talent on the roster. He meets a major need.