The Mississippi State Bulldogs football team welcomed eight new scholarship players to campus Wednesday. They are enrolled in school and will participate in offseason workouts and spring practice leading up the 2009 season.
The class includes six standout junior college transfers, including three first-team All-Americans of the National Junior College Athletic Association and two members of the second team.
Defensive end Pernell McPhee of Itawamba Community College is considered by many to be the star of the class, choosing Mississippi State over Georgia, Florida, and Michigan. This past season, he led the state of Mississippi’s junior college players with 19 sacks, and registered 25 quarterback hurries and 67 total tackles, including 17.5 tackles for loss, and was named a first-team All-American.
Defensive back Maurice Langston joins the Bulldogs from East Central Community College, where he starred on offense, leading the NJCAA in total touchdowns with 10 on the ground, seven through the air, and three on returns. He also led the NJCAA in punt returns, averaging 31 yards per return.
Linebacker Chris White, a second-team All-American from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, was responsible for 117 total tackles, fourth in the NJCAA in 2008.
Joining the Bulldogs’ offense is wide receiver Leon Berry, a Second Team All-American. Berry caught 39 passes for 661 yards and five touchdowns in 2008 for East Mississippi Community College. He may also be a factor in the return game for the Bulldogs, having returned 19 kickoffs for an average of 25.5 yards and 10 punts for an average of 12.9 yards in 2008, returning one of each for a touchdown.
“Leon Berry was the top junior wide receiver in the state of Mississippi, and our offense is going to really utilize wide receivers,” assistant coach Mark Hudspeth said. “[Berry] is a guy who’s started 22 college football games in junior college already in a very similar offense, and will be able to come in this spring and learn our system. He’ll be able to make hopefully a big impact.”
Highly-touted punter Heath Hutchins joins the Bulldogs from Itawamba Community College. Hutchins was named a first-team All-American this past season after leading the nation in punting by averaging 46.1 yards per punt.
Also joining the Bulldogs special teams is first-team All-American kicker Sean Brauchle for MGCCC. He made 14 of 19 field goal attempts at MGCCC, and was responsible for 97 points, the most among kickers in the NJCAA.
Coaches expect to see an immediate impact from all six junior college transfers.
“Any time you sign a junior college player in any position, you don’t sign them unless you really think they can come in and help you,” Hudspeth said.
In addition, the Bulldogs have welcomed two high school players to the team.
Sam Watts is an all-state offensive lineman from Conyers, Ga. He is rated as the No. 71 tackle prospect in the country by Scout.com.
Cameron Lawrence is a defensive back from Coldwater, Miss. He was named to The Clarion-Ledger’s Dandy Dozen his senior year in high school where heplayed both quarterback and defensive back.
“We’re excited to have these players join our team in the spring,” head coach Dan Mullen said. “This is only the beginning of what we plan on being a tremendous recruiting class.”