Mississippi State football hadn't been able to get much positive momentum going on the recruiting trail, but their fortunes look to be turning after a pivotal weekend for their 2026 signing class. Nine players made their commitment to the Bulldogs, including their new highest-rated player in the class.
WR/TE Zayion Cotton from Grenada, MS now sits atop Mississippi State's list of commitments. The 6-5, 215 pass-catcher is the No. 14 player in the state with an 89-overall, 3-star rating according to 247 Sports. Currently a wideout, Cotton is expected to develop into a flex TE at the college level, a position Jeff Lebby has used well with players like Oklahoma's Brayden Willis and State's Seydou Traore.
Cotton isn't the only talented pass-catcher to join MSU's class. 3-star WRs Jayden Cration (Canton, MS) and Zion Crumpton (Montgomery, AL) also announced for the Bulldogs. Both are explosive, downfield threats who should be great fits for the Lebby offense. Then there's 3-star TE Luke Hutchinson (Nashville, TN) who will play more of a traditional in-line TE role, complimenting a flex player in Cotton.
The State secondary got some help as well over the weekend. 3-stars in safety Jax Pope from Buford, GA and corner Terrell Johnson Jr from Lexington, MS are the fifth and sixth defensive backs to join the class. Finally, a trio of unranked prospects, LB Caleb Triplett, DL Davon Young, and Edge Micah Nickerson also committed, bringing State to 23 total commitments in the 2026 class, which ranks No. 30 nationally per 247 Sports.
Mississippi State still needs to make some big strides with 2026 recruiting class
While this weekend was a positive one for the Bulldogs, the 2026 class still has a long ways to go if it's going to be up to standard come Signing Day. State does not currently have a single composite 4-star prospect committed, and they're struggling to get much traction with any such prospects to this point.
The state of MS has 12 blue chip prospects in the 2026 class, and the Bulldogs overwhelmingly don't seem to be in the game with them. It's not an NIL issue. Despite some outside narratives, State has the necessary resources available to be competitive on that front. But despite that, selling the program to high-end prospects is difficult at the moment.
Jeff Lebby and his staff are going to have to do everything possible to reverse how recruits are currently perceiving them. This is particularly true when it comes to defensive recruiting. The current offensive class is solid enough. But they're severely lacking SEC-caliber commits on the defensive side of the ball, and that's got to change if the program is going to get back to the level fans expect.