Photo by: Austin Perryman/MSU Athletics
Bulldogs Announce 18 Early Football Signees
December 15, 2021 | Football
STARKVILLE – If early signing day is any indicator, Mississippi State and head coach Mike Leach will have an inordinate amount of talent taking the field next fall.
The Bulldogs announced the signing of 18 prospects on Wednesday, a consensus top 25 class that is ranked as highly as 13th nationally by Rivals.com. The class consists of four offensive lineman, four defensive linemen, four defensive backs, three linebackers, a pair of wide receivers and a quarterback.
"We really wanted to make an impact on defensive line, defensive back and offensive line and I feel like we did," Leach said. "I think that we filled out an awful lot of our class. We've got to continue to improve and attack the task at hand in January but we're off to a good start."
Headlining the class was a pair of instate products, Marquez Dortch and Trevion Williams, both of whom are rated as four-stars by 247Sports.com. Dortch, a wide receiver from George County and Williams, a defensive end from Crystal Springs, are rated as the fifth and sixth-best recruits in Mississippi by the 247Sports.com composite rankings.
MSU inked a dozen players from the Magnolia State on Wednesday, 11 of which are ranked among Mississippi's top 25 prospects.
"Our biggest emphasis was on recruiting Mississippi," Leach said. "That's specifically what we wanted to do most importantly and then satellite out from there. We want great players, no matter how far away they are. But the ones with ties here that grew up with the SEC and Mississippi State football, I think that's the starting point."
The Bulldogs' recruiting success was not exclusively limited to the high school ranks either. State signed two players from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, offensive tackle Percy Lewis and cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson, who are respectively ranked the top two juco recruits in the state.
Lewis is massive at 6-foot-8, 360-pounds and is expected to compete for playing time right away whenever he arrives in January.
"You want the junior college guys to be able to contribute early," Leach said. "(Lewis) certainly has the frame for it. We want him to attack the weight room and get him in great shape and just get him acclimated as quickly as we can."
Lewis and Nicholson are both expected to enroll next month and participate in spring practices along with defensive tackle Jacarius Clayton, wide receiver Jarnorris Hopson and quarterback Braedyn Locke.
Locke, a four-star prospect according to ESPN and Rivals.com, had one of the most historic high school careers ever in the Lone Star State. The Rockwall, Texas native threw a Class 6A state record 128 touchdowns and his 11,182 career passing yards ranked as the second-most in the state.
As a senior, Locke completed 215 of 341 passes for 3,657 yards and 36 TDs.
"He had a great career, and the ball explodes off his hand," Leach said. "It comes off his hand really quickly, and he puts it on his receivers right now, and they get yards after the catch. It didn't hurt that he broke the touchdown record in the state of Texas."
Leach and the Bulldogs are looking to address a few other positions before wrapping up the 2022 class in February.
"We need a few more receivers and we need a running back and then maybe a specialist or two," Leach said. "But I think this is a really good start. We just need to keep progressing."
For more information on the Bulldog football program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateFB" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Bulldogs announced the signing of 18 prospects on Wednesday, a consensus top 25 class that is ranked as highly as 13th nationally by Rivals.com. The class consists of four offensive lineman, four defensive linemen, four defensive backs, three linebackers, a pair of wide receivers and a quarterback.
"We really wanted to make an impact on defensive line, defensive back and offensive line and I feel like we did," Leach said. "I think that we filled out an awful lot of our class. We've got to continue to improve and attack the task at hand in January but we're off to a good start."
Headlining the class was a pair of instate products, Marquez Dortch and Trevion Williams, both of whom are rated as four-stars by 247Sports.com. Dortch, a wide receiver from George County and Williams, a defensive end from Crystal Springs, are rated as the fifth and sixth-best recruits in Mississippi by the 247Sports.com composite rankings.
MSU inked a dozen players from the Magnolia State on Wednesday, 11 of which are ranked among Mississippi's top 25 prospects.
"Our biggest emphasis was on recruiting Mississippi," Leach said. "That's specifically what we wanted to do most importantly and then satellite out from there. We want great players, no matter how far away they are. But the ones with ties here that grew up with the SEC and Mississippi State football, I think that's the starting point."
The Bulldogs' recruiting success was not exclusively limited to the high school ranks either. State signed two players from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, offensive tackle Percy Lewis and cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson, who are respectively ranked the top two juco recruits in the state.
Lewis is massive at 6-foot-8, 360-pounds and is expected to compete for playing time right away whenever he arrives in January.
"You want the junior college guys to be able to contribute early," Leach said. "(Lewis) certainly has the frame for it. We want him to attack the weight room and get him in great shape and just get him acclimated as quickly as we can."
Lewis and Nicholson are both expected to enroll next month and participate in spring practices along with defensive tackle Jacarius Clayton, wide receiver Jarnorris Hopson and quarterback Braedyn Locke.
Locke, a four-star prospect according to ESPN and Rivals.com, had one of the most historic high school careers ever in the Lone Star State. The Rockwall, Texas native threw a Class 6A state record 128 touchdowns and his 11,182 career passing yards ranked as the second-most in the state.
As a senior, Locke completed 215 of 341 passes for 3,657 yards and 36 TDs.
"He had a great career, and the ball explodes off his hand," Leach said. "It comes off his hand really quickly, and he puts it on his receivers right now, and they get yards after the catch. It didn't hurt that he broke the touchdown record in the state of Texas."
Leach and the Bulldogs are looking to address a few other positions before wrapping up the 2022 class in February.
"We need a few more receivers and we need a running back and then maybe a specialist or two," Leach said. "But I think this is a really good start. We just need to keep progressing."
For more information on the Bulldog football program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateFB" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
OL
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DL
/ FootballFOOTBALL | 2026 Spring Practice Media Session - Jeff Lebby
Thursday, April 16
FOOTBALL | 2026 Spring Practice Media Session - Kamario Taylor
Saturday, April 11
FOOTBALL | 2026 Spring Practice Media Session - Kelley Jones
Saturday, April 11
FOOTBALL | 2026 Spring Practice Media Session - Jeff Lebby
Saturday, April 11