| 1996 | October | November |
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12/30/96 - Jerry Fremin, who grew up on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and coached in the Mississippi high school ranks as well as Southern Miss and McNeese State, has accepted an offer to become Miss State's newest assistant coach. He helped guide McNeese State to the I-AA playoffs three of his four years while serving as their OL coach. He also served under Bobby Collins while coaching at Southern Miss. His comments about the opportunity to coach at Miss State - "This is a great opportunity for me. I'm working with Lynn Amedee, who I've known for several years. Anytime you have an opportunity to work with a man like Coach Sherrill, it's something that's hard to pass up." He also mentioned that State's 17-16 win over Alabama proves Miss State has the talent to win in the SEC. (With his background as a coach in the Mississippi high schools ranks and coaching at Southern Miss, he should help our recruiting in Mississipppi tremendously. Now let's get Glenn Davis aboard and sign those recruits. - Gene). Jerry Fremin Source: The Sun-Herald
12/30/96 - QB Wayne Madkin from Huntsville will supposedly chose from among Miss State, Louisville and Kentucky. Look for this one to be a Miss State - Louisville battle. For those that didn't know it, Wayne was chosen the second best QB at the Tenn camp in 1995 finishing behind Tim Crouch, the future pro QB, who is now at Kentucky. His teammate, WR Kenyon Hambrick is planning on going to a Juco.
12/30/96 - There was an excellent recruiting article in The Clarion-Ledger Sunday's edition. They will begin weekly recruiting stories each Monday, beginning on January the 6th. Check them out, they do an outstanding job.
Now more about today's article. It dealt mostly with Miss State's early Juco signees, in particular Kevin Prentiss. According to Kevin's coach Gene Murphy, "Kevin can break a game wide open for you. I think he averaged like 30 yards a catch and that's not just on long passing plays. He can catch short passes and just turn it loose. If you play him one-on-one, he's going to beat you sooner or later, and it's going to be for a big play." As I have mentioned on my page, he was a consensus 1st team all-american and that was also mentioned in the article. He was also Region 23 (Mississippi) Player of the Year.
Another player mentioned as a future Miss State Bulldog was Hinds CC WR James Jones. He is 6-1 165 with breakaway speed. He signed with Miss State last Feb. but didn't complete junior college academic requirements. According to Hinds CC assistant coach Jeff Terrill, "To my knowledge, he was on target to finish his coursework, and he should report in January."
And finally, Miss State signed another Juco OL. He is Russ Sanders, 6-4 280 5.1, from Jones CC. He was listed by The Clarion-Ledgeras the 19th best Juco player in Mississippi
12/30/96 - QB David Reaves, 6-2 180 4.7 and son of former Florida star QB John Reaves, will be visiting Miss State during January according to the Mobile-Register. Others listed in that newspaper as setting up visits are: LB Clint Lashley, 6-3 220 4.7 from Jacksonville, Fl.; TE Shawn Draper, 6-4 265, 4.8, Huntsville, Al.; DB Amark Tolbert, 6-1 185, 4.5, Augusta, Ga.; LB Travis Hines, 6-2 215, 4.6, Tanner, Al.; LB Roderick Chambers, 6-3 220, 4.7, Eufaula, Al. The article used The National Recruiting Advisor as it's source. (I have heard that Amark Tolbert is headed to Juco ball. Draper is supposed to be headed to Alabama. I hadn't even heard that Hines was considering Miss State and I just read an article about him. The others I'm not sure about. This article did not mention Jeremy Toungett as an Auburn recruit and I know for a fact that he will be visiting Aubun in January so take it with a grain of salt. - Gene)
12/28/96 - Just found out that the new Miss State assistant coach is going to be Glen Davis, not Phil Broome as I earlier reported. Sorry about the mix-up. Glen is the offensive coordinator at Co-Lin. He has coached in Mississippi and Texas. From what I have been told it sounds like he has a lot of contacts in both states. He is a young guy, 35-40 years old. From what I have heard, there are a lot of high school coaches in Mississippi that are very happy that he has been hired by Miss State. Being so well-liked by the high school coaches shows he has excellent potential as a recruiter. Sounds like an excellent choice by Jackie. Way to go coach Sherrill. Not only are you getting some outstanding recruits, you are hiring some outstanding assistant coaches.
12/28/96 - A player to watch for next year is Rico McDonald. He is a junior RB from Ripley, MS. who was honorable memtion all-state. He is a solid RB prospect, who ran for 350 yards and had 5 TDs against a very good Amory team. Smart kid with average speed As a side note, he is former Bulldog RB Michael Haddix' son. Stay tuned...
12/27/96 - It sounds more and more like Co-Lin's head coach Phil Broome will be announed as a Miss State assistant coach in January. He will be a great choice in my opinion. He turned the Co-Lin program completely around in a very short period of time.
12/27/96 - Even though I hear things to the contrary, I keep getting emails that say Miss State still has a shot at Romaro Miller. I have also received an email from someone close to the situation that says Miss State has an excellent chance at signing Rufus Brown.
12/26/96 - According to television station WTVA of Tupelo, L. P. Spence, a DB/RB from Corinth, MS committed to Ole Miss over LSU, Auburn, Miss State and Ohio State.
12/25/96 - Monday night, WTVA, the local television station in Tupelo, Ms, interviewed both Romaro Miller and his primary receiver Jamie Armstrong. Miller said his final three choices were Ole Miss, Tenn and Alabama. Armstrong's final three schools were Rice, UAB and Ole Miss.
12/25/96 - According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, John Bernard, 6-1 200 RB from Carencro HS (Lafayette, LA) and Ernie Moore, 6-5 240, DT from Salmen HS, are both going to visit Miss State during January. Bernard is very fast and considered an outstanding prospect. He has scheduled visits with LSU and Texas A&M as well as State. His grades will be close. Moore is projected as an OL in college. He is academically qualified. He will also visit Southern Miss and USL.
12/24/96 - Looks like Jackie Sherrill has been doing a good job recruiting Moss Point. Miss State, according to Bob Lowry's Auburn recruiting site, will receive a visit from Muskingum Barnes on Jan. 31st. He will also visit LSU (Dec 20), Auburn (Jan 17), and Notre Dame (Jan 24).
12/24/96 - According to BAMA D's recruiting site, Quincy Jackson, a WR from East Miss CC, signed with Alabama recently. This info supposedly came from the counselor at East Miss CC. According to The Clarion-Ledger, Quincy will not graduate until May. You figure it out.
12/24/96 - For anyone in the Columbus, Miss. area, you can find a Jeff Whitaker Deep South Recruiting Guide at the Bookland book store in the Leigh Mall. It is $4.50 but it is an outstanding guide. He has a good deal of info on over 600 players from the southeast states, Texas and the south's junior colleges. He also rates them on a scale of 9.00 to 10.00. There were only 8 issues left. If you can't find this guide in your location call Southeastern Sports Publishing at (205) 582-5257.
12/24/96 - According to a couple of sources, the new assistant coach that will come out of the Mississippi coaching ranks will be one of these two coaches: (#1choice) Phil Broome from Co-Lin CC or Mike Justice from Madison Central. Either one would be an excellent choice. Both are winners and both have solid Mississippi connections.
12/24/96 - A couple of players from Alabama and Georgia that are leaning to Miss State, according to Forest Davis' 900 recruiting hotline, are Greg Smith, a 6-2 228 RB with 4.55 speed, from Wetumpka, Al., and Chuck Lumpkin, a 6-4 260 OL with 5.1 speed, from Rockmart, Ga. Greg is also considering Tulane, Ohio State, Illinois and Alabama. He is supposed to be a fine running back. However, his grades are a big concern. I don't know much about Lumpkin. If you are interested in Forest Davis' recruiting hotline, the number is 900-468-8477. Unlike other 900 numbers, his is not billed by the minute. It costs $5.95.
12/22/96 - Here's a list of some players that are visiting Miss State in January:
12/21/96 - According to a source of mine, Jacquis Walker, a 6-1 200 RB/LB, would like to go to either Miss State or Ole Miss. Whomever offers will get this outstanding player and student. He has 4.5 speed and was all-district 3 years in a row on both sides of the ball. Fully qualified and an outstanding young man. Let's hope one of our two teams offers to this great player.
12/20/96 - Those reports some of you have seen that says Miss State has only 7 scholarships left are incorrect. Only one of the scholarships, Anthony Kapp's, that Miss State used during the early Juco signing period will be applied against the 12 that are available during the February 5th signing period. The other 4 were applied against last year's limit of 25. All of the players Miss State signed during the December 18th signing period will enroll for the spring semester and go through spring practice.
12/20/96 - According to The Clarion-Ledger, Jackie Sherrill expects to sign by Friday an assistant coach to work with the centers and offensive guards. The last assistant coach, who will come from either the Mississippi high school ranks or the Mississippi Juco ranks, will work with the running backs and be hired sometime in January. No names mentioned.
12/20/96 - Daniel Willis, a DB from Hinds CC, signed with Louisiana Tech. Not sure if any of the Mississippi schools were seriously considering him, but I thought it might interest some of you.
12/19/96 - See my football Skuttle-Butt page for info on the players Miss State signed yesterday. Outstanding news.
12/19/96 - Other Mississippi Juco players interested in Miss State according to The Clarion-Ledger:
12/18/96 - For those of you who have asked, Larry Gillard of West Point is indeed the son of the former Bulldog by the same name.
12/18/96 - The Ohio State recruiting page is saying that Dorsett Davis (not Dorset Davies as they call him) may commit to the Buckeyes this week. They received this info from Bill Kurelic, who is a midwestern recruiting analyst.
12/18/96 - The Ohio State recruiting page also says Terrance Metcalf committed to Ohio State over the weekend. According to Student Sports, Terrance committed because Ohio State said their offer would be pulled from the table if not accepted at that moment, so of course, he committed. He will take three more visits. Sounds like a good ideal by Terrance. He can always renign on his commitment if he likes another school better. Stay tuned.
12/18/96 - Here are some more Juco players that are considering Miss State, according to Jeff Whitaker Deep South Recruiting:
12/18/96 - According to Bill King, of Southeastern Recruiting Alliance, Miss State was recently visited by Jeff Kelly, QB from Citronelle. He is considering Miss State, Southern Miss and Vanderbilt. He is considered the 2nd best QB in the state of Alabama.
12/18/96 - A TE who is not getting the attention he deserves, according to some readers, is John Bradley, 6-4 215 size, 4.7 speed, from Tupelo, Ms. He has good feet and hands and is a strong young man. He has been compared to Reginald Kelly and Rufus French. Watch out for this guy. Here's another one of those quality Mississippi players that is getting overlooked.
12/17/96 - Good news for State, if it is accurate. Kendric Fairchild, the outstanding DL from Greenville, is now supposedly leaning to Miss State. This is according to Jeff Whitaker Deep South Recruiting. (If you see this publicaton on the newsstands, buy it, it is outstanding.) This is great news if true, because he has been leaning to Georgia Tech for a long time.
12/17/96 - Miss State is expected to get a visit from one of the top linebackers in the state of Texas, Thomas Dunson, 6-2 225 size, 4.6 speed. He is considered the 7th best LB in Texas, according to Jeff Whitaker Deep South Recruiting.
12/17/96 - FS David Godfrey, 6-2 205 size, 4.6 speed, from Itawamba CC, has Miss State, among others on his list. He will be a December graduate. He would be a great addition to MSU's secondary.
12/17/96 - RB Tim Evans, 5-8 180 size, 4.5 speed, from Itawamba CC, has Miss State and Houston at the top of his list, according to Jeff Whitaker Deep South Recruiting.
12/17/96 - According to Jeff Whitaker, expect Kevin Cooper, the outstanding WR from Northwest Miss CC, to be a Bulldog next fall. He was Juco all-state his freshman year and a Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen his senior year in high school. He is also from South Panola High School. Maybe this could help Miss State get more of those players. They have a stockpile.
12/16/96 - Ole Miss and Miss State both lost out on a big recruit if the following is correct. According to Bob Lowry, James Johnson, RB from East Ms CC, is going to sign with Alabama during the early Juco signing period which begins this Wednesday.
12/16/96 - According to Prep Stars, Antwain Hunter and Dextra Polite have committed to Clemson. Those were two Joe Lee really wanted. Ouch! Just have to hope it's not true. Stay tuned.
12/16/96 - According to the Sun-Herald, Picayune WR/DB Greg Walls, 6-0 185, is expected to sign with TCU.
12/16/96 - Romaro Miller has official visits set with Ole Miss, Auburn, Notre Dame and Tennessee, according to The Clarion-Ledger. No visit set with Miss State yet. Hopefully we will get one. BTW, Romaro was selected Player of the Year by The Clarion-Ledger.
12/16/96 - Here's some info on two West Point linemen: Jay Jackson, 6-5 300 OL, is probably heading to Juco ball. Has the size, but needs to work on his footwork and technique and then he might be a Division-I prospect. Good luck Jay, whatever you do. Larry Gillard, 6-4 315 OL, is a better Division-I prospect than his teammate, Jay Jackson, at this time, and may be signed by a D-I school as a project signee. He's agile with average speed at best, but needs to work on his footwork and technique. BTW, does anyone know if Larry Gillard is the son of the Larry Gillard that played at State during the Bob Tyler era?
12/16/96 - According to Dave Childers, Bill King told him on a chat group that Miss State would sign Dorsett Davis.
12/15/96 - Jason Cabell, the outstanding linebacker from Prep Academy, has said he will choose from either Millsaps or Mississippi. He said this week he'll either attend Millsaps and possibly play football or attend Mississippi State and not play. Here's a quote from him that was in Saturday's Clarion-Ledger: "I think I really decided a long time ago, but it just took a long time for the word to get out," said Cabell, who's interested in studying medicine or engineering in college. "I'm not going to play Division I. But I guess I could change my mind down the road." Source: The Clarion-Ledger
12/14/96 - Tennessee-Martin has selected it's five finalist for it's head football coach. Two of them are Rockey Felker, Tom Goode; both former Bulldogs.
12/14/96 - Terrence Metcalf, 6-4 296 OL from Clarksdale, told The Tuscaloosa News yesterday that he is still considering Alabama. He plans to officially visit Alabama on Jan. 10th. Terrance was quoted as saying the Tide is "one of my top schools. I'm still very interested."
12/14/96 - Here's a Juco RB to watch for next year, Mack Pittman of East Central CC. He is a freshman from Panama City, who gained 197 yards on 32 carries against Middle Georgia in the Golden Isles Bowl last weekend in Brunswick, Ga. ECCC won the game 7-6. Way to go East Central CC!
12/14/96 - There was a wire report yesterday that said some influential alumni from Pitt are trying to lure Jackie Sherrill back to Pitt. If I hear anything else, I'll post it here. I found this info on Dave Childers' Ole Miss recruiting site. He has the newest Ole Miss recruiting site on the internet. He, along with Doug and Chip are doing Ole Miss proud with their Ole Miss sites. Folks, they outnumber me. Keep supplying me with info, so I can keep up with them. ( :
12/14/96 - DuShon Martin, a 6-2 190, 4.5, DB from Dallas, Ga., appears to be leaning heavily to Miss State. He is not an impact player, but he is a very solid prospect.
12/14/96 - One other Georgia player Miss State is in the hunt for is Armark Tolbert, 6-1 185, 4.5, one of the two best WRs in that state. He is considered an immediate impact player. The only problem is he has grade problems and it appears at this time he will have to go the Juco route.
12/14/96 - Miss State is no longer in the picture with the other top WR in the state of Georgia, LaBrone Mitchell, 6-3 205, 4.4, of Marietta, GA.
12/14/96 - Was emailed last night that Romaro Miller is now considering Miss State as well as Ole Miss. According to Bill King, a well-known recruiting analyst out of Knoxville, Tn., Miller told him a few nights ago that Miss State has started recruiting him very heavily. Bill believes it will be a two-way battle between Ole Miss and State. The other schools are all outside looking in. Hope this is true. If so, another top player will be staying in-state.
12/13/96 - In the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, there is an article about the Brad Lott incident. To say it makes Ole Miss look bad, is an understatement. Although, it is mostly negative, it does mention that the Ole Miss administration has completely disassociated Brad Lott from Ole Miss. It also mentioned that Brad Lott has resigned his position from the Jackson County Port Authority. Not only has Brad Lott hurt Ole Miss, he has hurt the entire state of Mississippi. This only reinforces what some uninformed people outside the state believes about the people in our state, that we are all a bunch of racist people. A few bad apples can do so much damage to so many good people. All I can recommend to each one of you is if you hear racist comments coming from your fellow alumni at sporting events, tell them to please refrain, because it reflects badly on the whole state. There are always plenty of people outside of the state who want to find as much dirt on Mississippi as possible, and it is up to each one of us to make sure there is no dirt to be found. Well, so much for my soapboxing.
12/13/96 - I have been told that Miss State has a great shot at signing RB Reginald Hunter of Gulf Coast CC, via Moss Point. This would be a great signee for Miss State. According to people who have seen him, he is an oustanding RB. I've seen him and I totally agree.
12/13/96 - Three Juco players Miss State is after are all located at Georgia Military JC. The three players are J. C. Grid-Wire 2nd team All-American CB Dextra Polite, 6-0 175, 4.4 sp, 12 INTs, Prep All-American out of high school; DB Antwan Hunter, 5-11, 175 4.4; WR Jimmy Robinson, 6-3 1/5 195, 4.5. The two DBs would be perfect for Joe Lee Dunn's type defense. They are both oustanding covermen. Look for Dunn to go all out to sign them. Ga. Military is the same school we signed Lamon Dumas out of last year.
12/13/96 - Tootie Myers, WR from Petal, told WDAM of Hattiesburg that his top five schools are Southern Miss, Tenn, Alabama, Memphis and Houston. He would be a great catch for Southern if they can sign him. He's also an outstanding baseball player.
12/12/96 - Remember this name: Matt Johnson, OL from Ricks CC in Idaho. I told you earlier MSU is recruiting some OL from an Idaho JC. This guy may be one of them. This is only an educated guess, so take it for what it's worth. He is a consensus 1st team all-american.
12/12/96- Jim Helms, MSU assistant head coach and RB coach, recently quit to take a job as an assistant coach at Illinois. He and the Illinois head coach worked together at Texas A&M.
12/12/96 - I have been hearing that Rockey Felker may be coming back to State as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator. I have no facts, just rumors. I wouldn't be surprised to see him come back as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, but not offensive coordinator. I believe Jackie is very pleased with Lynn Amedee and all that I have heard about Amedee's recruiting efforts is very positive. He may be getting MSU back into doors we haven't been in in a while. (To the person who asked me about the Rockey info, I tried to email you back, but my email wouldn't go through.)
12/12/96 - Here's some more JUCO players interested in State: RB James Johnson, WR Quincy Jackson, Bobby Collins TE, all from East MS CC (Scooba for those who live near it); Emarlos Leroy 6-2 300, J. C. Grid-Wire 2nd team all-american and 1st team NJCAA all-american. It has been reported that Emarlos is committed to Georgia, but that may be premature. State is now in the picture, not sure how strongly though.
12/12/96 - Speaking of the Scooba Juco players. Guess who visited them the day after he got his new coaching job........DuBose of Alabama. Must really want these guys.
12/12/96 - According to Jeff Whitaker's Southeast Recruiting, one of these Scooba players, TE Bobby Collins, may be the most highly recruited player in the JUCO ranks. Guess I'm no talent scout, because I saw him in the Miss Juco all-star game and I didn't think he was that great. He does have great speed for a big man, just doesn't have great hands.
12/11/96 - I was given the wrong info about QB Slade Nagle. He actually committed to Clemson, not LSU as I earlier reported. The QB who actually committed to LSU was Craig Nall from Alexandria, La. Sorry, but that's recruiting rumors for you. Plenty of info out there, just have to be careful what you say sometimes.
12/11/96 - Joe Gunn, RB from Amory who signed with Ole Miss out of high school but wound up in a prep school because he was not a qualifier, is being recruited by Joe Paterno of PSU. Joe remains firm in his decision to resign with Ole Miss on February 5th.
12/11/96 - Kenyatta Walker, 6-7 270 OL/DE from Meridian, is considering Arizona State, went there last weekend; Ohio State, going there this weekend; Florida State, Florida, and Miss State. He likes State, but will probably go to Florida. According to people who know Meridian football very well, Kenyatta is a better lineman than Kenny Smith. According to a source of mine, Kenyatta is somewhat shy and quiet and would really like to stay near home, so if Miss State would recruit him hard, they might have a shot at him. He would be a great signee for them.
12/11/96 - Kenny Smith, 6-5 290 DT from Meridian, visited Michigan last weekend and is visiting Ohio State this weekend along with Kenyatta Walker. Kenny will go out of state, because he wants to go where he can get some national recognition. According to some who have seen Kenny play, he has a lot of natural talent, but doesn't have the desire or toughness to be a great DL. If he gets that fire in his eyes, he can be a dominating DL.
12/11/96 - Jason Franklin, 6-2 210 QB from Meridian, is leaning to Clemson. He could play a number of positions, because he is such a great athlete. He throws a good ball and runs well. He is one of the strongest players on the team.
12/11/96 - Brian Cole, 5-8 146 RB from Meridian, one of the most exciting players in the state, will have to go the Juco route.
12/11/96 - Carlos Stennis, 6-2 286 OL from Meridian, who is being recruited by Oklahoma, wants to go to State, according to a source of mine. I'm not sure how hard we are recruiting him.
12/10/96 - Watch out for LB Zack Grady of Louisville. According to a reliable source, he is a big fast LB, who will not be an impact player his first year because he is not fundamentally sound, but once he gets a redshirt season and some coaching....lookout!
12/10/96 - According to an Ole Miss source of mine, Rufus Brown recently deleted Ole Miss from his list. Look for Miss State to make a big effort to get an official visit from Rufus, since he will not be making an official visit to Ole Miss.
12/10/96 - This is a new name for me. Graham Manley, TE-LB from Sandy Spring, MD, may be visiting Miss State. He also has Northwestern, East Carolina, Syracuse and Va Tech on his list.
12/10/96 - Here is a list of top QBs who have committed to SEC schools - Jason Standridge, AUBURN; Tim Olmstead, FLORIDA; Slade Nagel, LSU; Daniel Cobb, GEORGIA.
12/10/96 Just got the latest J. C. Grid-Wire. Here are the players from Mississipppi Juco schools who made the 1st and 2nd teams:
12/09/96 - Sherrill expects to be granted medical redshirts for his three biggest losses from a year filled with injuries -- tailback Keffer McGee, defensive lineman James Grier and cornerback Lamon Dumas, whom Sherrill calls a "very good" cover cornerback.
12/09/96 - According to Parrish Alford, of the Daily Jounal, the Tupelo newspaper, State expects to sign five, big, physical offensive lineman during the early Juco signing period.
12/09/96 - Drefus Cagins, OL from East Marion HS, according to one of my sources, will probably have to go the Juco route to work on his footwork and technique before he is ready for Div-I ball. He has the size, just not ready for D-I in other areas of his game. Good luck Drefus!
12/09/96 - Barrion Kelly, DE from Moss Point, is probably going to sign with Alcorn State. Some bigger schools are interested, but ASU looks like the winner for his services.
12/09/96 - Look at the heavyweights that are visiting Kendall Simmons, DL from Ripley. He has had home visits from Tenn. coach Phil Fulmer and two of his assistant coaches, Auburn coach Terry Bowden and Melvin Smith of Miss State. All indications are Miss State is still in the picture. Looks like Jackie Sherrill needs to visit when he can. Go Dawgs, get after this guy.
12/09/96 - Sam Gregg, OL from Amory, has been getting some heavy recruiting form Oklahoma lately.
12/09/96 - Muskingum Barnes, DE from Moss Point, is, more than likely, going to choose between Florida and Notre Dame. Miss State is still under consideration, but on the outside looking in. Miss State and Ole Miss need to get after this guy, before he goes out of state. He is a primetime player.
12/09/96 - Because of grades, Kevin Jones, RB from South Panola, will probably have to go the Juco route.
12/08/96 - Look for Miss State to re-recruit the following players who are now at junior colleges: WR Kevin Cooper, 6-4 200, 4.45 (Hot on him); LB Orlando Patterson, 6-2 200, 4.6; OL Larry Cowart, 6-3 305, ?Sp; RB Reginald Hunter, 5-11 180, 4.4 (Big on him).
12/08/96 - Among the other Juco OL we are recruiting is Craig Moore, 6-3 280 OL form Co-Lin CC.
12/08/96 - I went to the Mississippi Juco All-Star game today. Reginald Hunter, RB from Gulf Coast CC, really stood out. He has very good speed and excellent quickness. Best RB in the game. Tony Johnson, LB from Itawamba, was all over the place. Outstanding LB. OL Anthony Thurman, from Mississippi Delta CC, went head to head with Auburn commitment DE Cornelius Griffin, from Pearl River CC, on several plays and beat him every time. Also, David Godfrey, SS from Itawamba CC, reminded me of Miss State's Eric Brown. He has good size, 6-3 210; good speed and quickness and is an excellent tackler. When he hit a player, that player went down. He will be a huge recruit for someone. Didn't get to see Miss State's commitment, Randy Thomas. Not at the game. Kevin Prentiss only had two balls thrown his way while I was at the game. Caught one, the other one was badly overthrown. Quite a few of the players I wanted to see were not at the game for reasons that were unknown to me.
12/07/96 - Well, I've got pie on my face today. The Webb brothers signed with UCLA last year! My friend and I are obviously getting senile, because we had ourselves totally convinced that these two guys would be at State next year. Thanks to all of you who emailed me this info. Now, on to some good news for State.
12/07/96 - MSU looks good on the JUCO recruiting front. Randy Thomas, the big OL from Co-Lin CC who has committed to MSU, was recently named all-state in Mississippi, now J. C. Grid-Wire has named him an honorable mention JUCO all-american. He is also considered the 21st best OL in the JUCO ranks, according to J. C. Grid-Wire. Kevin Prentiss, a WR from Hinds CC, who supposedly is leaning to MSU, was named 1st team all-american by J. C. Grid-Wire. Over the next three days, I will be posting quite a bit of JUCO info. Too much to post tonight. I will say this, it looks like State is going to hit the JUCO ranks hard this year, and we are in good with some really big JUCO names. Look for more info over the next few days.
12/07/96 - According to one of my sources, Jackie Sherrill stated on the Mississippi Sports Talk Show friday afternoon, Miss State is recruiting 4 QBs, one of which is a big-timer. I'll see what I can find out.
12/06/96 - Found this in The Clarion-Ledger today:
Kendric Fairchild, DL, 6-5 300, Greenville, MS - Fairchild's size and agility make him an ideal defensive line prospect. "You don't find many guys who are 6-5 and 300 pounds and can run," Greenville coach Charles Hardy said. "I think Kenric really improved this year. He just needs more brute strenght.: Fairchild, who was slowed by a late-season ankle injury, is close to meeting NCAA freshman eligibility requirements. Schools - Georgia Tech (slight leader), Miss State, Southern Miss, Tenn.
12/06/96 - I was emailed today about three Brandon, MS. players. Devin Pack, the most highly recruited of the three, is a good all-round player, but may have to go the JUCO route. Reggie Hill, who won the state 100m and 200m in track last year, is considered too short by some and is not being highly recruited. The third player, Ti Garner, will probably end up at one of the smaller schools in the state.
12/06/96 - A friend and I were discussing who Jackie might be recruiting in California. My friend remembered an article that we both read about a year ago. Jimmy Webb, a former Bulldog, has twin sons who are both about 6-5 290, and who live in California. We both have decided this must be who he is recruiting out there. If memory serves me, they want to come to State. Does anyone else know anything about this info?
12/05/96 - Jackie Sherrill is really hitting the recruiting trail. I have been told that he was recently in Georgia, then headed to California the next day. Also told that Rickey Black and Melvin Smith are hitting the Mississippi trail. Good luck coaches.
12/05/96 - Southern Miss visited Olive Branch Wednesday to check out Brandon Taylor. Southern will get a good player if they can sign this guy. I have been told that he is a very good lineman.
12/04/96 - Here's a list of top prospects from the Memphis and surrounding area. Source: The Commercial Appeal
12/04/96 - I was told Monday night that Miss State is going to sign 6 Juco linemen, 2 wide receivers and 2 running backs. Look for some of these linemen to sign during the early December Juco signing period. It wouldn't surprise me if Miss State signs a couple of OL from Ricks Junior College.
12/04/96 - A player I was emailed about Monday night is Courtney White, of Glen Oaks High School, Baton Rouge, LA. Anybody else heard of this hard hitting 5-8 160 4.5 speed defensive back? He has a 3.2 gpa and a 18 ACT. Supposedly he is interested in Miss State, LSU, USL and La Tech.
12/02/96 - I need info on the following players: Robert Sawyer - 6-4 340, Eupora; Calvin Morgan - 6-8 310, Oak Grove; Drefus Cagins - 6-3 335, East Marion. If you have seen any of them play, tell me what you thought of them. Are they prospects? I need 40 yd speed, strength and academics if you know it. I want to start promoting Mississippi players, but I need help from all of you. Will you help?
12/01/96 - I have been told by a reliable source that Tenn, Auburn and Arkansas have visited the Olive Branch campus in regards to the two linemen there, Jeremy Toungett and Brandon Taylor. I was also told MSU and Ole Miss haven't visited the campus once. What is going on? We want the best players to stay in state and both of these players would LOVE to go to either MSU or Ole Miss. To you college coaches in Mississippi, get on the ball and get after these players. I believe you could do a lot worse than sign two players 6-5 262, with 5.0 speed and 6-6 315, with 5.3 speed, both strong as oxen, and both Mississippi players. Go visit them, please keep them in-state. Maybe they aren't so-called top 12 players, but was Paul Lacoste, Brett Farve, Eric Moulds, or for that matter, Archie Manning? If anybody else knows of players in similar circumstances, email it to me and I'll post any info you give me. Folks, if you want to help keep Mississippi players instate, then start doing YOUR part to keep them here. Help promote them. You give me the info, I'll post it. It can only help. Beginning today, there will be a great deal more detailed info on Mississippi players than I have been posting. I've got a lot of info I can post, but the more I receive from you, the better.
If you have any information, please contact me at swindoll@ebicom.net.