By JOEL COLEMAN
Starkville Daily News
With Christmas Day now less than a week away, it’s the season of surprises. However for Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead and the Bulldogs, getting the expected was perfectly fine on Wednesday.
MSU welcomed in the majority of its 2020 football signing class as the early signing period began on Wednesday. State secured the signatures of 22 new Bulldogs in all. Mississippi State had 21 verbal commits coming into the day. All signed and the Bulldogs also picked up an additional player to complete what was, thankfully for MSU, a drama-free day.
“I cannot recall a year when you have 21 commitments going into signing day and you get all 21 of those kids signed and there’s not a defection,” Moorhead said. “We got one good surprise, but no bad surprises. I think once again that’s a testament to the coaches in this state and the surrounding states. It’s a testament to the parents and the players and their belief in us and this program and the direction we’re going. Quite frankly, it’s a testament to our blue-collar, hard-nosed work ethic that you might do a lot of things better than us, but one thing you’re not going to do better than me and this staff is outwork us.”
Mississippi State’s signing class ended the day ranked 25th in the country according to 247Sports. If that holds, it’ll mark MSU’s third straight Top 25 recruiting class. It was exactly how State envisioned the day going and it came to fruition.
Only three-star athlete Decamerion Richardson was somewhat the lone deviation from MSU’s script. He recently decided on Mississippi State and came through with his official pledge.
The rest of the group was expected to ink and each player, one by one, delivered. Mississippi State coaches, staff, administrators and others gathered inside the Bob Tyler Recruiting Lounge at Davis Wade Stadium and Moorhead had FaceTime conversations with each of his new players on a big screen that overlooked the room. Each player was given an NFL Draft-style introduction during his respective call with a different MSU personality announcing the Bulldogs had selected them.
Most of the class was made up of Mississippians. A total of 14 of the 22 signees hail from the Magnolia State.
“Part of the beauty of this state is that you’re going to have guys that are highly ranked and justifiably so – you’ve got to do a great job of keeping those guys at home,” Moorhead said. “This is one of the most unique states I’ve seen in that it’s not oversaturated or over-recruited from a national standpoint.
“I think we’ve done a very, very good job instate.”
It was a balanced class for MSU that also addressed major positions of need on the defensive line, at wide receiver and at running back.
The Bulldogs welcomed five new defensive linemen including four-star Jordan Davis and three-star players Jevon Banks, Armondous Cooley, Ben Key and Tre Lawson.
State brought in four receivers including a pair of four-star guys – Malik Heath and Lideatrick Griffin. Caleb Ducking and Jaden Walley were the other two wideouts to sign.
At running back, a position where MSU is losing 2019 SEC regular season rushing champ Kylin Hill and senior Nick Gibson, State brought in its highest-rated recruit in the form of four-star back Jo’quavius Marks. Dillon Johnson also entered the Bulldog fold at the running back position. Moorhead thinks Marks and Johnson might can contribute immediately.
“I think those guys are a great mix,” Moorhead said of Marks and Johnson. “The one thing in this (offensive) system we’ve had through the years is tremendous success at the tailback position. Kind of the ingredients that you look for, the intangibles and the tangibles, I think both of those guys have the opportunity to come in and contribute early. Historically speaking, that is a spot in this offense like you saw from Lee (Witherspoon) this year where guys can come in and play right away.”
Moorhead also locked up his possible quarterback of the future. Three-star Will Rogers signed on the dotted line to perhaps one day be the man leading the Bulldog offense.
“One thing I believe is that when the quarterback walks into the room, you shouldn’t have to ask if he’s the quarterback and Will kind of carries himself that way,” Moorhead said. “You’re not going to have to ask Will to come in and watch extra film. You’re not going to have to ask Will to go to the field and throw extra routes. You’re actually going to have to say, ‘Woah,’ rather than, ‘Sic’ em.’ That’s what I love about him.”
Other MSU signees included a pair of offensive linemen (three-star players Grant Jackson and Calvin McMillian), four defensive backs (four-star Emmanuel Forbes and three-star players Janari Dean, Javorrius Selmon and Cam Threatt), two linebackers (three-stars Rodney Groce, Jr., and Tyrus Wheat), grad transfer kicker Brandon Ruiz and the aforementioned three-star athlete Richardson.
All the signings leave Moorhead and the Bulldogs with little work to do ahead of the next National Signing Day on February 5, 2020.
MSU has somewhere in the neighborhood of only three or four spots left to fill. Scholarship availability is dependent on if State has any other current players declare for the NFL Draft or if there is any other type of attrition.
Regardless of what happens, most of State’s work is done. Now, for the Bulldogs, it’s all about polishing off this class and moving on to the next one.
“On my desk Thursday, I want the top available players at the junior college, the transfer and the high school level at certain positions we’re going to target,” Moorhead said. “We’re going to find out who they are and we’re going to go (hard) after them to try and fill those remaining spots.
“And I’m on to (the next signing class). I’ve been recruiting those kids. They’ve been identified and they’re being recruited very hard. Today is going to end and we’re going to get to going on the remaining (Class of 2020 players) and we’re going to recruit the heck out of the (Class of 2021 players).”
Moorhead and his cohorts can only hope future signing days go as smoothly as Wednesday’s.
The Starkville Daily News Bulldog Beat 