This year’s football season might not have gone the way Mississippi State University fans would have hoped, but the future is bright for the Bulldogs. 
Recruiting is a huge part of college football — maybe the most important part. No matter how good coaches are, at the end of the day, you cannot win without the talent. 
Well, thanks to the Bulldogs’ last two recruiting classes and this year’s potential class, the talent in the MSU football program will get better. 
According to scout.com, the team finished with top-25 recruiting classes the last two seasons — finishing No. 18 in 2012 and No. 25 in 2013. The 2012 class was highlighted by some highly-sought-after defensive players such as Quay Evans, Denico Autry, Nick James, Beniquez Brown and Will Redmond. 
The 2013 class brought in more talent for the offensive side of the ball with players like Ashton Shumpert, Fred Ross and Jake Thomas and, of course, the addition of defensive star Chris Jones.  
MSU’s 2014 class currently ranks No. 34 on scout.com, and players could still be added to move it up with signing day still a couple of months away. As of now, the Bulldogs have 19 commitments. 
The class is headlined by Gerri Green, a linebacker from Greenville, Miss.; Aeris Williams, a running back from West Point, Miss.; Jamoral Graham, an athlete from Decatur, Miss., and Elijah Staley, a quarterback from Marietta, Ga. 
Graham might be the best of the bunch. He is a guy that can play defensive back and receiver and is being projected to be a corner back at the college level. Though he projects as a defensive back, he does have playmaking ability on the offensive side of the ball, and the MSU coaching staff might be able to find use for that as well. Scouts praise his ball skills and speed, both of which the MSU secondary could desperately use. 
Green is an athletic linebacker and has a good base for size at 6’4 and 220 pounds. He should be able to put on a little more weight and get stronger once he gets into the program. 
One of Green’s best attributes is his speed. Green reportedly runs a 4.37. For a linebacker, he is about as fast as it gets. He can rush the passer, drop back into coverage and fly around and make plays. 
Staley is a very interesting prospect for the Bulldog class. He is listed as 6’7, 205 pounds and is a lefty, dual-threat option for the quarterback position which plays into what Dan Mullen wants for his offense. Staley has great size and good arm strength and could allow coaches to open up the playbook and attack vertically on offense. 
Williams, an all-around back that possesses really good size for his age, is listed at 6’0, 208 pounds, and he is still just in high school. He is a downhill, between-the-tackle runner with good vision and cut back ability, and he can be effective catching the ball out of the backfield. 
This year’s Bulldog team does not have a ton of seniors, which means a lot of the players on the team will be back next season with more experience and perhaps improved abilities. 
Throw another talented freshman class in the mix, and MSU should be on its way to getting better.  This season, MSU fans would have just been happy with six wins. Do not expect that to be the case next season. 
I am not saying it is time to start thinking about a national title, but it should not be a struggle to get to six wins in any of the next few seasons based on the young talent on the roster and the new talent that prepares to come in.