MSUnews- All sports and recruiting.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Recruiting- What i expect on signing day....

There is so much speculation and nobody really know what will happen on signing day, nobody. But if tomorrow were signing day these are the 28 I expect us to sign:
1. Dee Arrington
2. Joe Morrow
3. P.J. Jones
4. Shaq Perry
5. Barron Dixon
6. Joey Trapp
7. John Harris
8. Justin Malone
9. Kendrick Market
10. Preston Smith
11. Benardrick McKinney
12. Darius Slay
13. Justin Cox
14. Dak Prescott
15. Daniel Knox
16. Josh Robinson
17. James Maiden
18. Devin Fosselman
19. Rufus Warren
20. Zachary Jackson
21. Nick Redmond
22. Kevin McReynolds
23. Xzavier Ward
24. David Washington
25. Derrick Milton
26. Leon Mackey
27. Taveze Calhoun
28. Aaron Morris, yes Aaron Morris

I think Aaron is way to quiet for there not to be something up, as of right now, I think C.J. and Whitehead will, sadly, sign with Ole Miss, But I'm not giving up hope. The next week and a half should be interesting A LOT will happen.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Recruiting- OT Xzavier Ward now visiting

Offensive Tackle Xzavier Ward(6-7 260) out of Moultrie, GA will be visiting Mississippi State this weekend. He has offers from everywhere and I can't say I have a good feeling about him signing with state, but if he is visiting, we have a chance. He definitely has the frame to be a SEC lineman and is rated as a high 3* from both recruiting services and a 4* from ESPN. A lot of unheard of names are coming out as we get closer to signing day, and I expect more to pop up.

Xzavier's Scout Profile
Xzavier's Rivals Profile
Xzavier's ESPN Profile

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Football- A look at 2011- Quarterbacks

     In 2011, MSU will have 4 solid quarterbacks. I can't rekmember a time when we have had so much depth at the quarterback position. We will be returning last years starter, Chris Relf, 2 MS Gatorade Players of the Year, Tyler Russell and Dylan Favre, and bring in Dak Prescott, who had offers from LSU and TCU(Dak enrolled in January). Let's take a look at every player individually.
     Chris Relf is without a doubt the best returning quarterback in the SEC West in 2011. He will be a Senior with 2 years of experience under his belt. His progression during those two years has been phenominal. It's been a while since we have had a quarterback who had more touchdowns than interceptions in a season. Chris threw for 13 TD's and only 6 interceptions. He also hada 59% completion percentage and 1789 passing yards. He is 6-4 245 and certainly a load to bring down. To go along with his 1789 passing yards he had 546 rushing yards and 5 rushing TD's. He is a key to MSU's running success, also, his decision making during the zone read is awesome. I believe, that Chris will get drafted in 2012, as a quarterback. Flame away.
     Popular back up, Tyler Russel, had a decent season, he had 5 TD's and 6 interceptions to go along with a 58% completion percentage and 635 passing yards. He definitely looks the part of the quarterback, standing in at 6-5 230. To me it seems as if he doesn't put enough zip on his passes and sometimes leaves to much air under his passes. He showed that he has the ability to run a couple times during the season, but he aint a blazer. He will only be a redshirt sophomore next year so he definitely has time to continue proving, by his redshirt junior year I think he will be a legit SEC quarterback.
     Even more popular back up, Dylan Favre, redshirted last year, but there were reports that he was making every pass with the scout team. He had phenomenal numbers out of high school, I think he actually broke every passing record in Mississippi. He was also the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year, a Parade All-American, and he played in the O-D All-American game. Some question his release, as he drops down a little bit, but the biggest reason for his doubters is his height. I'd say giving him 5-11 is generous. I'm not saying he can't be a good quarterback though, a lot of Relf's passes aren't even in the pocket anyways, so the pass can't get blocked by the line. I think eventually, he will be a fine quarterback for us, but for now, just a solid back up.
     Dak Prescott(6-3 225) enrolled in January and will be working out with the team this Spring. He is almost a Chris Relf clone out of high school, but a much more polished passer. He had crazy numbers, passing and rushing, his senior year at a decent level of play in Louisiana. I really like his future at MSU. I believe he will redshirt and learn the system his first year, then back up Russell, but around his Junior year I see him pushing for a starting job. He is the prototypical quarterback for Mullen's system, big, fast and a good passer. I am really excited about this young man and stoked he is already on campus.
     I am more than happy with our quarterback crew for 2011, we have great depth and athleticism. I see the quarterback position as one of the high points on our team next year, wow, never thought I'd say that.

Recruiting- Shaquille Perry commits to MSU

RB/OLB Shaquille Perry has committed to Mississippi State. He is rated a 2 star by scout and a 3 star by rivals. He will most likely be a sign and place and have to go JUCO and sign again with state. He is supposed to visit during the weekend of 1/28.
Perry's Scout Profile
Perry's Rivals Profile

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Recruiting- Shaquille Perry added to this weekends visit list

Looks like Shaquille Perry(6-2 210) has been added to this weekend's visit list. He played running back for Walnut Attendance Center in Walnut, MS where he had outstanding numbers 2,188 rushing yards and 37 TD's. He is projected to play OLB on the next level. He has offers from Memphis, South Alabama, and Southern Miss. I hope this isn't the coaches losing confidence in us signing C.J. Johnson.

Recruiting- A look at this weekend's visitors

Kevin McReynolds- DT, 6-3 280, Washington D.C.
3* Scout; 4* Rivals
Offers- Mississippi State, Kansas State, Maryland, Syracuse and UCLA
Status- Uncommitted
I think we have a pretty decent shot at him considering we are his last visit and he has already visited Syracuse and UCLA. He has a huge upside and would be a big pick up for Mullen, in the end I think he will sign with MSU.

Joe Morrow- WR, 6-4 195, 4.60, Ocean Springs, MS
4* Scout; 3* Rivals
Offers- Mississippi State, Auburn, Arkansas, LSU and Ole Miss
Status- Committed to Mississippi State
Joe took a visit to last Arkansas last weekend but I heard it was just for the visit. He is good friends with Devin Fosselman and I am sure they will be working hard on getting the few uncommitted prospets coming in this weekend committed. He is a big receiver, he will play the X on the next level and with his size I could see him getting some playing time next year.

James Maiden- DT/OT, 6-4 265, Woodville, MS
3* Scout; 3* Rivals
Offers- Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, LSU and USC
Status- Committed to Mississippi State
James is an absolute beast in the trenches. I think he will come in as an offensive tackle and redshirt his first year and gain a lot of weight. Once Balis gets him up to 290-300 I think he will be able to contribute.

Daniel Knox- TE/OT, 6-5 250, Collinsville, MS
3* Scout; 3* Rivals
Offers- Mississippi State, Arkansas State, Southern Miss and UAB
Status- Committed to Mississippi State
Daniel is somewhat of a mystery. He has a great frame and after a redshirt year with Balis I expect him to gain a lot of weight and be listed as an offensive tackle.

Barron Dixon- DE, 6-4 250, 4.9, Alpharetta, GA
3* Scout; 3* Rivals
Offers- Mississippi State, Arkansas, Maryland, MTSU and Vanderbilt
Status- Committed to Mississippi State
Barron committed to Mississippi State on January 13th. It is a huge pick up in my opinion because he is your typical DE. Don't let his listed 4.9 40 fool you, he is quick off the ball. I don't think he will redshirt because we are low on DE's. He has an honest chance at getting some playing time as a true freshman.

Rufus Warren- TE, 6-5 238, Indianola, MS
3* Scout; 3* Rivals
Offers- Mississippi State and Delta State
Status- Committed to Mississippi State
Rufus is a big possession Tight End, I think he will gain a little weight but not much. I expect him to redshirt his freshman year and then step in with a chance for playing time as a few Tight End's will be graduating.

Justin Cox- CB, 6-1 175, 4.4, West Point, MS
3* Scout; 3* Rivals
Offers- Mississippi State, Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Memphis and Alcorn State
Status- Committed to Mississippi State
Justin will surprise a few people. He is a tall, rangy cornerback who played quarterback in high school. He is one of the top 3 fastest seniors in Mississippi this year. He will be very comparable to Johnthan Banks.

Devin Fosselman- WR, 5-9 192, 4.45, Woodville, MS
3* Scout; 3* Rivals
Offers- Mississippi State, Memphis, Southern Miss, Southern and Alcorn State
Status- Committed to Mississippi State
Devin will most likely be play the H or the Z. He is undersized but his hands and speed make up for it. He will be a guy that will get you the first down. He loves Mississippi State and he will come in and work hard from day one.

Derrick Milton- RB, 5-11 205, 4.5, Hargrave Military Acadamy
3* Scout; 3* Rivals
Offers- Mississippi State, Tennessee, Memphis and Ole Miss
Status- Uncommitted
Derrick is very comparable to Vick Ballard, he doesn't have blazing speed, but he will beat you. He is also a very physical back. I think there is about a 70% chance that he will commit to Mississippi State this weekend.

Benardrick McKinney- OLB, 6-4 200, Tunica, MS
2* Scout; 3* Rivals
Offers- Mississippi State
Status- Committed to Mississippi State
Benardrick is a long, rangy OLB who is comparable to K.J. Wright. He will definitely need a redshirt year to get bigger and stronger. Give him a couple years backing people up and learning the system and I think he will be a fine backer.

I would expect one commit this weekend and that is from Milton. I think we will get McReynolds but that will be signing day decision.