Mississippi State won the war. After suffering through nine loses during the football season, the newly revamped Bulldog coaching staff finished off the 2002-03 football calendar with a huge exclamation point!
This past Wednesday was National Signing Day, the first day for football recruits to sign national letters of intent, and the Bulldogs signed 27 players. Heading the class of 2003 are four of the most highly recruited players in the state of Mississippi this year. Omarr Conner of Noxubee County, Quinton Culberson of Jackson Provine, Donovan Davis of Jackson Calloway and Devrick Hampton of Greenville-Weston all signed with the Bulldogs. All four were listed on The Clarion-Ledger 10 Most Wanted List.
“We’re glad that we were able to keep seven in state,” MSU head coach Jackie Sherrill said about recruiting the state of Mississippi. “We were pretty close to keeping eight, but hopefully we can continue to keep them in state. There’s a lot of things that go hand in hand. Once you start that, things just seem to keep moving.”
MSU also filled huge vacancies in the trenches, signing five offensive linemen, including Davis, and five defensive linemen, including Hampton. The Bulldogs signed Starkville High School offensive lineman Lance Fremin, who is the son of former MSU offensive line coach Jerry Fremin.
In addition to Hampton on the defensive front, MSU signed Collins High School star and member of The Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen, Corey Clark. The Bulldogs also re-signed Deljuan Robinson who was considered one of nation’s best defensive prospects last season. Robinson underwent football-unrelated surgery after signing with MSU last February.
The Bulldogs also signed five defensive backs in this class. Led by Culberson, considered one of the top five defensive backs in the country, MSU added needed depth at the cornerback position with the signing of two Georgia standouts. Adrian Griffin of LaGrange, rated as the fourth best cornerback in Georgia by SuperPrep, and Jeramie Johnson of Booker T. Washington in Atlanta, rated as the second best cornerback in Georgia by SuperPrep, inked with the Bulldogs.
“We lost a number of defensive backs from last year’s team that helped in our kicking game,” Sherrill said. “We expect these guys to help us immediately in the kicking game.”
MSU also added to the overall athleticism of this class by signing three of the fastest players in Mississippi. Tyler Threadgill of Philadelphia, Miss., son of former Bulldog quarterback from 1975-77 Bruce Threadgill, has been clocked at 4.38 in the 40-yard dash. Akeem Lofton of Wayne County High School and Rickey Wright of South Panola High School are considered two of the most explosive players in the state. All three played quarterback for their respective high schools; Lofton is listed as a receiver and Wright a defensive back for the Bulldogs, while Threadgill is the only one listed as a quarterback.
“Years ago the best athlete on every team was the quarterback,” Sherrill said. “You have to look at an athlete and look at what all he can do. There are a couple of guys of our basketball team that I would like to talk into playing football.”
CBS Sportsline has already tabbed this class as the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation and The Insiders have the new Bulldogs at 18.
“The biggest thing about recruiting this class was the coaching staff and the coaches that we added. They worked very, very hard,” Sherrill said Wednesday. “They had the ability to communicate with the coaches, the players and the parents. The players that hosted the kids did a great job. One thing that stood out was our fan base, who was very positive all along in recruiting.”