| 1996 | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | July |
08/31/97 - Miss State won a close battle with Memphis yesterday, 13-10. The defense played outstanding. Gregory Favors is one of the quickest defensive ends I have ever seen. He ran down Memphis' quarterback at least once. Running back J.J. Johnson looked really good running. He can run over or around the defense.There were too many turnovers, but, hopefully, they will be corrected before the next game.
08/31/97 - For those of you who listened to my radio segments yesterday you heard me say that Starkville's QB/DB Freddie Milons and Weir's RB/DB Dicenzo Miller are both considering Miss State. My sources are both close to the situation with both of these kids, and based on what I was told recently, it appears Miss State is in good shape with Miller and has a better than average chance with Milons, although it may be difficult to beat out Alabama for Milons.
08/30/97 - Don't forget, Recruit Walk 97 is at 12:30 today. Be there!
08/30/97 - My mistake, Eric Metcalf went to Texas, not Texas A&M as I earlier reported.
08/29/97 - Not another hatchet job by ESPN with help from CNNSI this time! Most of you, I'm sure, have heard the latest. Supposedly, court records indicate MSU head football coach Jackie Sherrill paid for private investigators in connection with the 1993 charge against Derrick Taite (A charge that was later dropped). As the story goes, according to CNNSI and ESPN, Mrs. Taite claims, during her divorce proceedings, she and her ex didn't have to pay one dime for their son's defense because Coach Sherrill did. (Ha Ha Ha) I'm sorry folks (Ha Ha Ha Ha) I can't contain myself (Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha) anymore (Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha) because this is really getting ridiculous. (Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha). Can't these people find something newsworthy to write about, instead of putting their own spin on ancient, inaccurate news. If they would do a little research, they might actually get their facts right. Remember their Pell Grant "news report?" Come on guys, do a little legwork and get the facts before you report something. OK? Enough said!
08/29/97 - Remember, Bulldog fan, you cannot give a recruit anything, not even a hamburger or coke from your tailgate party. It's against NCAA rules, plus, you never know, ESPN may be on campus. And I would sure hate to read what they would write about it. I can see it now: " NCAA investigating Mississippi State because Coach Jackie Sherrill tried to sway recruits by telling Bulldog fans to give them hamburgers and soft drinks." I say this in jest, but it is very important for none of you to offer a recruit anything. So please don't. We're new to this Recruit Walk thing, so let's do it right.
08/29/97 - Here are a few notes from the "Greater Jackson Bulldog Boosters" meeting Wednesday night:
08/28/97 - For all of you who are interested in the route the football team will be taking to the stadium, it is as follows: they will be leaving the Columbus (I think it is Columbus) Holiday Inn and will arrive at the Five-Points Intersection at 11:55 a.m. The players will exit the bus and walk straight to the dressing room. Get out there and meet them, then head on over to the "Recruit Walk 97".
08/28/97 - I'm not sure how accurate this info is, but I have heard there are going to be nearly 100 prospects on campus this weekend. If this is accurate, then we need to have a LOT (not 100 or 200 but at least 1,000) of people greeting them. Wouldn't it be nice if the band could be there as well as the fraternities and sororities? It wouldn't look good if they outnumbered us, now would it? And don't forget, they will probably have family members and coaches with them. What would that put it at, maybe 400 to 500 people? Hey, we need some people making plans on being at "Recruit Walk 97."
08/28/97 - Correction: Just found out that the College Sports Exchange is an online service that provides info for the Extreme Fans team by team reports on American Online. You can find the MSU indepth information at that site.
08/28/97 - Here's an incomplete list of MSU's walkons:
08/27/97 - For all of you that have access to AOL, there is a site on it called College Sports Exchange which provides a very in-depth report on MSU's game. On Sunday there is a recap of the game and on Tuesday a pre-game analysis. Check it out; I've heard they do an excellent job. Sorry, I'm not on AOL and don't know the actual address. If someone does, email it to me and I'll post it.
08/27/97 - Congrats to MSU defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn and his wife for bringing a new baby, their first boy, into the world, Joseph Levi Dunn, Jr.
08/27/97 - I just want to publicly thank the Columbus, Mississippi construction company D. S. McClanahan & Son, Inc. for the outstanding job they did in installing the magnificent JumboTron at MSU. Stephen Sanders, the son in the company name, was in charge of the project. I think I can speak for all MSU Bulldog fans in saying great job Stephen!
08/27/97 - Here's the route for this Saturday's "Recruit Walk". At approximately 12:30 p.m. the recruits, along with MSU Football Recruiting Coordinator David Wilson, will be leaving the Bryan Building, which is right across the street from Dudy Nobel Field, and walking around Humphrey Coliseum. They will then turn left on Collegeview Street and go straight to Scott Field. They will enter at gate number 7, which is at the north end of Scott Field (the Jumbotron is located on the north end). Come on Bulldog fans, do your part, greet the recruits. Start the line as close to the Bryan Building as possible. Please don't block any driveways or roads. And don't give the recruits anything, including game programs, cokes, jerseys, etc. The NCAA will not allow it. Let's start a tradition. You can make a difference when it comes to recruiting!
08/27/97 - For those of you who want to listen to my two skuttle-butt segments on FM 105.3's BULLDOG BASH, Jim Buffington, the owner of 105.3, told me he plans on broadcasting them at 11:20 and 12:20. Since this is my first time, I am going to tape them. I'm a little nervous about being on the radio for the first time, so I felt it would be better to tape them and see how it goes. Hopefully, I will be doing them live in the future. Hope you enjoy them.
08/27/97 - Need some help Bulldog fans. In yesterday's Birmingham News there was a list of Alabama high school prospects. Some listed Miss State. I don't have access to the Birmingham News in Columbus so if one of you would be nice enough to fax me a copy of that list I would be very appreciative. My fax number is 601-356-4923. Thanks in advance.
08/27/97 - So far we have only sold 23,000 tickets for this Saturday's game. You read it right, 23,000. That is pathetic! It looks like we will only have a total of 30,000 fans at the game. Pathetic! For those of you who have decided to sit on your fannies at home on your couch and watch the game on television, please don't complain if the season doesn't go according to plans. The only fans that have a right to complain are the ones that actually are loyal enough to come to the games. I'm only talking to the fans that have the time and money to come to the game; not those of you that have to work or have valid reasons for not coming.
08/27/97 - Look for a walk-on list tomorrow morning. It won't be a complete list (won't have the ones that walked on in the past two weeks), but should have 95% of them.
08/27/97 - Can't leave you without one bit of recruiting news; Hinds CC QB T. T. Toliver, who is being recruited by Miss State, was selected 1st Team Juco All-American by The National Junior College Athletic Association. I will post the full list next week.
08/26/97 - Don't forget about the recruit walk 1and 1/2 hours prior to the game this Saturday. All the recruits that are visiting State this weekend will be walking from the Bryan Building to Scott Field 1and 1/2 hours prior to the game. We need as many Bulldog fans out there as possible. Remember, do not offer them anything, other than a Miss State thank you for choosing MSU as their first unofficial visit this year.
08/26/97 - According to the Texas A&M recruiting site, Longview, Texas, DB Shawn Byrdsong is considering Miss State. You can find this recruiting site at http://TAMURecruiting.myriad.net/.
08/26/97 - It seems my comments yesterday about Falkner's Edward Prather got someone's attention. He checked around and heard several rumors about the Prather brothers, Edward and Bradley. It appears, from what my source heard, that Bradley (Sophomore LB, 6-3, 220-lbs), who is presently playing for NEMCC, is very interested in playing for Miss State and there is a possibility that he and Edward may be a packaged deal. This doesn't jive with our not being on Edward's list, according to The Clarion-Ledger, but then again this is recruiting. Remember, we are talking about 17 and 18 year old kids.
08/26/97 - I was emailed from a very reliable source that MSU baseball player Brad Freeman is going to be one of the back-up punters this year. Don't worry, he is not giving up his baseball career; he just thought he might be able to help out the football team.
08/26/97 - Someone saw the MSU football truck go by his office yesterday and noticed that it had the number 21 on the side of it. For those of you who don't know whose number that is, it is Keffer McGee's.
08/25/97 - I'm always willing to recognize someone who helps out Miss State. There is a new car dealer in Tupelo by the name of Metro Ford. The reason I am mentioning them is because they have been nice enough to furnish a courtesy car to Miss State football. Go by and thank Roger Craigero and if you are in the market for a car, see if he will give you a MSU Bulldog deal. Tell him MSU Football Recruiting Coordinator David Wilson sent you.
08/25/97 - For all of you in the Tupelo area, the Jack Cristil radio show, which is on every Wednesday at 4:00 p.m., will have David Wilson on it this Wednesday and if it is a call-in show, he wants you to give him a call. Also, let me know what he says and I will post it on my page.
08/25/97 - Latest word out of Troy State is that former MSU QB Adam Russell will be the starting QB. Good luck, Adam.
08/25/97 - Hope all of you, that had access to it, purchased the Sunday edition of The Clarion-Ledger. Once again they did an absolutely superlative job with their 1997 Football Preview edition. Let them know you appreciate their efforts.
Here are a few recruiting tidbits I saw in it. Of their Dandy Dozen, the ones that are considering MSU are:
One thing that surprised me was that RB Dicenzo Miller of Weir and RB Edward Prather of Falkner didn't have Miss State listed. I have heard both of them are strongly considering Miss State. Maybe I'm wrong. Just have to wait and see.
My curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to look back at last year's Dandy Dozen, and guess what? Only 3 signed with schools they had listed at that time, 4 signed with Jucos and the other 5 signed with D-I schools they did not have listed. Gives you something to think about, doesn't it? By the way, here are the three that signed with schools they had on their original lists: Dorsett Davis - MSU (I know, he wound up at MS Delta, but he did actually sign with MSU.), Romaro Miller - Ole Miss, and Muskingum Barnes - LSU.
Other players that are not in the Dandy Dozen but have MSU on their lists are:
Another OL that MSU is interested in, but isn't on his list at this time is 6-7, 305-lb Kyle Wallace of Simpson Academy.
08/24/97 - I was emailed that the JumboTron was tested during the scrimmage on Friday and looked fantastic. My source also me the the clarity of it for being 2 p.m. and the sun shinning directly on it was absolutely great. According to my source, the video department has done a great job and has a few video surprises waiting for all of us when they turn it on. People if you don't have plans on being at the first game, please try and make it. Please don't decide to watch the game at home on the television. With the new JumboTron and the makings of a very good season, you need to be at Scott Field. Plus, here's another huge factor why you need to be at Scott Field next Saturday.
As most of you know, because of the restrictive NCAA rules, there is very little each one of us can do to help when it comes to recruiting. One thing we can do is be at the game and be as supportive as possible. However, there is one other very important thing we can do; at approximately 1 and 1/2 hours prior to the game, Miss State Football Recruiting Coordinator David Wilson is going to walk from the Bryan Building to Scott Field with a large number of football recruits, who will be unofficially visiting MSU. Wouldn't it be great if, while they are walking to the stadium, we lined their walking area and let them know we appreciate their visiting our school. We can do our part to show them why choosing MSU would be a great choice. We know how great it is to be part of the great MSU family, but they don't. By greeting them, we can help show them. I'm serious about this, so I want to see a tremendous crowd between the Bryan Building and Scott Field. Tell at least five of your friends to come on out. Let's try to get a huge crowd greeting these players. We can make a difference. BTW, do not offer anything to any of the recruits. Not even a piece of bubblegum. It is against the NCAA rules. Remember this, because it is extremely important.
08/23/97 - Here's the latest, and last as far as I'm concerned, info about the Pell Grant review. There has been a lot of discussion about this on the internet and newspapers the past ten days. Most of it to the determinate of Miss State. Well, as most of you know, I posted one paragraph about this on August 13th. I said MSU was randomly selected, along with 21 other schools, to have their financial records reviewed to see how the Pell Grant system is operating. Even with this post, most MSU fans and many fans of other schools expected the worse for MSU. Well, the Department of Education has finally decided to tell everyone the facts, which are as follows: The DOE probe is part of what Inspector General Thomas Bloom termed "a national project to review the use of Title IV (Pell Grant) funds within college athletics programs." Isn't this very similar to what I said on the 13th?
Now, can we stopped discussing this non-issue and discuss football?
08/23/97 - If you have a chance, go by and check out the JumboTron. I have been told it is up and running. Sorry, I'm not sure when it will be tested.
08/21/97 - For any of you that has a question about any NCAA rule, contact Miss State's Director of Compliance Clay Bolton at cbrbolt@ra.msstate.edu. It doesn't matter whether your question is big or small, Clay is the person with the answer. If you want to do something but aren't sure it is within NCAA rules, contact Clay before doing it and he will lead you in the right direction. Look for Clay's email address on my front page under the official MSU list section.
Also, let him know you appreciate his efforts.
08/21/97 - I was told by a reliable source, Blake Conn, the big offensive lineman from Hattiesburg, has family connections with MSU. I have also heard that MSU has not been very active in the recruitment of Blake. My source said a lot of schools, including those in the SEC, have contacted Blake. If State is interested, they had better throw their hat in the ring before it is too late.
08/20/97 - Here's an update on the status of two Bulldog players. Cameron Floyd is out for the season with a torn ACL injury. Better news for junior OL Craig Moore. He will probably be out of action for four weeks.
08/20/97 - Former Bulldog Paul Lacoste was waived by the Buffalo Bills yesterday.
08/19/97 - How important are each one of you to our program? Think of yourself as this nail and then answer the question.
Poem by Benjamin Franklin:
For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horse-shoe nail.
I hope to see all of you in the stands for the Memphis game. Each one of us can make a difference.
08/18/97 - Misc. player notes which were found in The Clarion-Ledger Sunday: WR Matt Butler has moved ahead of Lahitia Grant as the starting split end. WR Cameron Floyd is out indefinitely with a sprained knee. Backup offensive tackle Craig Moore is out with a sprained knee. His status is unknown at this time. LBs Dereck Rush and newcomer Bert Keys (a great talent) led the Saturday scrimmage with 8 tackles each. Jeff Walker punted 3 times for a 51-yard average, including a wind-aided 84-yarder. Matt Wyatt is listed as the number 1 QB. Rob Morgan is number 2 and Robbie Stillwell number 3.
08/18/97 - The word that I heard at the scrimmage was that freshman QB Wayne Madkin will probably be redshirted this year, but will be on the travel squad. Although he has tremendous talent, there is no reason to waste his freshman year when you already have such a talented QB as Matt Wyatt as the starter.
08/17/97 - The latest word I have on former MSU football player Kevin Bouie is that he is having a great preseason with Arizona and is the starting tailback at the moment.
08/17/97 - MSU signee Dorsett Davis did not qualify and is attending MS Delta CC.
08/17/97 - I went to Saturday's scrimmage. Here are several things I observed:
08/16/97 - Something that I feel each one of you should know is that right now it is against the NCAA rules for any college coach to be making phone calls to prospects and if the prospects are receiving calls initiated by any college coach then they should call the NCAA and report them. If they don't, then the player stands a chance of losing some eligibility if the NCAA ever finds out. Now it is legal for the prospect to phone the university as many times as they wish. All of you that knows a high school football player, make sure you give him this info. You don't want an athlete losing eligibility unnecessarily.
08/16/97 - The latest word on Ripley running back Rico McDonald is that he is leaning to Miss State. Rico is considered one of the best running backs in the state of Mississippi this year.
08/15/97 - Drumroll please! If all goes well, the new video screen should be in place August the 19th. Go by Scott Field and check it out. The contractor has already added the scoreboard portion. I will post pictures of it later this weekend.
08/15/97 - Here are some highlights from Wednesday's scrimmage. Source The Commercial Dispatch (Columbus, MS.):
08/15/97 - According to a source of mine who recently talked to QB T.T. Toliver of Hinds CC by way of Daytona Beach, Fla., T.T. told him he wants to play for Miss State. T.T. was the Florida player of the year two years ago according to Forrest Davis Prep Sports Recruiting. T.T., who is 6-1, 175 with 4.5 speed, can also play wide receiver and defensive back. In fact, he played both in high school. T.T. is considered one of the best Juco players in Mississippi this year, possibly the best. People that have seen him play say he is an unbelievable talent.
08/14/97 - I had the opportunity to watch the last few minutes of Wednesday's football scrimmage (it was a closed scrimmage, but I got there so late no one was around so I walked right on in. hope I don't get someone in trouble). Wish I could say I noticed a lot, but I'm no football expert so I can't say a lot about what I saw. I was impressed with the speed and hands of Kevin Prentiss. The offensive line looked very good. Running back James Johnson showed a lot of ability. Brian Hazlewood has a very strong leg, kicking a 57-yard field goal, although he did miss two 52-yards attempts prior to his 57-yarder. QB Wayne Madkin is very smooth when running and showed a very strong arm. Isn't it nice to have two QBs (Matt Wyatt and Wayne Madkin) with at least 6-5 height. QB Rob Morgan also looked good throwing the ball while I was watching. Look for State to block some punts this year. They showed excellent ability rushing the punter.
08/14/97 - I know I'm about to step on someone's toes, but I really feel this needs to be said. Wednesday, after the football scrimmage, I heard a couple of guys complain about the condition of Scott Field. I looked at the field and thought this field looks great. And it does look great, but if you ever have a chance to go down and walk on it you will notice it isn't so great. The grass is great but the field is not very level. We have a fantastic looking stadium and in a couple of years it will be expanded and look even better. We have a tremendous scoreboard/video screen in the process of being added. We have a great 'M' Club Building at the other end of the field. We also have one of the nicest landscaped fields in the country, in my opinion. But we have a field that is badly in need of being leveled. You may not believe this, but it has quite a few dips in it. Now, folks, we are talking about football players running on this field. Have any of you run on a field that is not level? Talk about injuries waiting to happen. Something has to be done about this. I know it can't be this year since football season is only a few weeks away, but at the end of the season someone in charge has got to level this field. You have to think with MSU being an agricultural college, someone should be able to level it in no time. I realize it will cost a significant amount of money to resod the field, but a way to finance it has got to be found. All of your movers and shakers (Bulldog Club and Alumni Association higher-ups) out there need to get on the ball and get this started before my brother-in-law, Ted Dahlem, and I get his tractor and level it ourselves. I will keep reminding you guys until someone gets on the ball and gets this done.
08/13/97 - Before the rumors start to mount, as ESPNet has reported, MSU does have Department of Education investigators on campus looking at their financial books, specifically in regard to Pell Grants. However, this is because the Dept. of Education has randomly selected 22 universities around the country to see how well the Pell grant system is operating. MSU just happens to be one of those 22. I'm an accountant and I know, for a fact, every once in awhile you get your books audited. Sometimes it's the State Tax Commission; sometimes some other government agency. In MSU's case it's the Dept. of Education. It's just a fact of life, now let's get back to looking forward to the upcoming football season. How about some early practice notes?
Early Practice Notes:
BTW, if any of you guys know a high school football player, tell him all about MSU and why he should take an unofficial visit to one of MSU's football games. Help do your part; promote MSU.
08/12/97 - Please click here to read an extremely touching Keffer McGee article by John Harris of The Commercial Dispatch (Columbus, MS.)
08/11/97 - Just thought you guys would like to know that MSU QB signee Wayne Madkin's birthday is today. He turns 18; yes that's right 18. This kid is just now turning 18 and is 6-5, 205-lbs with a canon arm. Like Matt Wyatt, his potential is limited only by how hard he is willing to work.
You've got to give Coach Sherrill credit, he has an uncanny knack for seeing talent where many others may not. Perfect examples of this are Robert Hicks, Greg Favors, Matt Wyatt, and Kevin Sluder. Everyone of these guys has a chance to play on Sundays and none of them, according to the so-called experts, were highly thought of coming out of high school.
08/11/97 - Here's an exceptional MSU Media Day article by The Clarion-Ledger's Rusty Hampton.
08/11/97 - Found these comments in The Commercial Dispatch (Columbus, MS.):
Sherrill comments about Kevin Prentiss: Sherill likes the former Hinds CC star so much that he is considering using him on kickoff returns, punt returns, as a receiver and as a running back. "We'll put him at every (skilled) position other than fullback," Sherrill said.
Sherrill comments about new OL signee Craig Moore: "I can see why Craig Moore was the defensive player of the year at Miami his senior year. I'm not sure he couldn't play defense."
Here are several tidbits of info I found in The Clarion-Ledger:
About QB signee Wayne Madkin: Sherill said Madkin, who is 6-5 and 205, "has been a big, big surprise," in early drills.
LB signee Bert Keys: "He is going to be able to really help us right away. We didn't know that much about him; he's been a pleasant surprise."
Sherrill talking about this year's OL as a group: "I feel this line has more ability and more depth that the one we had in 1994."
About new signee Ed Smith: Expect to see Smith used as a fifth defensive back if defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn uses the 4-2-5 alignment that proved to be so successful when Dunn coached at Ole Miss. Smith is expected to play a hybrid position that's a cross between linebacker and strong safety.
08/09/97 - Bulldog Club Meeting football tidbits:
MSU Football Signees Info per Coach Sherrill (All have reported with the exception of Dorsett Davis):
He also mentioned Kevin Prentiss, James Johnson, Brad Elmore and Anthony Kapp, but I've said the same about them before. Expect all four to be starters or backups this year. (BTW, I saw Prentiss make an outstanding catch in practice. Now I see why all the fanfare over his tremendous talent.)
New coach info:
Now, about Dorsett Davis; according to Coach Sherrill, Davis will either come in as a partial qualifier or play at MS. Delta CC for two years. He had thoughts of going to a Juco out west (another school tried to get him to do this) but decided against this. There is also a chance he may take the ACT test one more time in October and if he passes it, he will have four years of eligibility left. Really, this all depends on whether the NCAA Clearinghouse approves or disapproves the course they are presently looking at.
08/08/97 - Here's a great column about Keffer McGee by The Clarion-Ledger's Rick Cleveland.
08/08/97 - Here are comments by fellow teammates of Keffer's:
Robert Hicks: Keffer McGee was an original. Nobody on this team was like Keffer McGee. I remember coming in as a freshman and everybody was going out to parties and things, Keffer never did that. Keffer was always in his room. He would study, he wouldn't drink and try to go out with every girl around here. He was just by himself. He wouldn't go out and do anything. I'm going to miss him a lot.
Robert Issac: I could stand up here all day and talk about Keffer....He was a great person, a very successful person. He graduated in four years and not many athletes could do that.
Reginald Kelly: I'm going to play hard this year. I'm going to represent Keffer McGee. I don't care what it takes, I'm going to do my best.
Matt Wyatt: Nobody could put into words and explain to you the kind of guy Keffer was. If you knew him, you'd know what I'm talking about. But if you didn't, I could stand up here and talk all day and the words just wouldn't do him justice.
Cameron Floyd: This whole season, we won't have to go without Keffer. Every snap he'll be there. Every touchdown we score he'll be there.
James Grier: He will play through me and the rest of the players.
08/07/97 - The latest information that I have received from a reliable source is that Jamaal Dinkins has been approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse and will report this afternoon.
08/07/97 - According to a source of mine, a couple of walkons are doing very well during the early practices. Linebacker Clay Harris, from Alabama, and Taylor Bunch, a fullback/kicker from Sillman Academy in Louisiana.
08/07/97 - A couple of Texas players are interested in MSU. Adam Dunn, a 6-5, 230-lb QB with 4.5 speed from New Caney and Eric Heitmann, a 6-4, 262-lb, OL with 5.1 speed from Katy. Dunn is also considering Texas, BYU, Kentucky and Baylor. Heitmann is also considering Miami, BYU, Baylor and Duke. Both players are in the Top 130 in Texas, according to Texas Football. Dunn is the 2nd best QB and Heitmann the 8th best OL.
08/05/97 - How many of you remember a Greenwood, MS high school running back by the name of Rod Gibson? Let me refresh your memory. Back in February 1996 Rod, who was considered one of the top running backs in the State of Mississippi, signed with MSU but had his ACT challenged causing him to go the Juco route. This past year he had such a great year at MS. Delta CC he is now considered one of the top running backs in the Mississippi Juco ranks. Now I know some of you are wondering is MSU still in the picture for this great running back? The answer, according to my sources, is a definite yes. In fact, my sources say MSU is his clear-cut Number 1 choice.
08/04/97 - I realize a lot of you think Coach Sherrill has lost his recruiting base with the high schools in Mississipppi. This opinion is based mostly on the results from the past two years. One year where teams used the impending probation against MSU and one year where MSU only had 12 scholarships to offer. As would be expected, MSU was hurt badly by the possibility of probation the first year and the second year was one where Coach Sherrill signed immediate depth by signing an outstanding group of Juco signees, leaving very few scholarships for high school talent. Well, MSU is going to be hitting the Mississippi high school ranks hard once again and, based on early indications, MSU is doing very well. In fact, in Greenwood, Mississippi there are three absolutely outstanding football players and my sources tell me MSU is the leader for all three players. The players are Kendrick Wise, a 6-3, 301-lb offensive lineman, Matt Greer, a 6-4, 245-lb, linebacker/offensive lineman, and Gary Davis, a 6-1, 210-lb, linebacker/fullback. All three of these players are highly recruited by schools throughout the SEC and in one case (Davis) Notre Dame. So don't fret fellow Bulldogs, the MSU Bulldogs are doing just fine in Mississippi.
08/02/97 - The latest rumor on MSU signee Dorsett Davis is his NCAA Clearinghouse appeal will be rejected and he will go to either Ms Delta CC or to a Juco out west. Not sure how far out west he means. He could mean either California or Kansas.
08/02/97 - Here’s the latest from Coach Joe Lee Dunn from a recent alumni meeting:
Jamaal Dinkins: Joe Lee feels we need him to qualify. As of Thursday night, he had not been cleared by the Clearinghouse.
JC Transfers: We still have 4 or 5 transfers still waiting on the clearinghouse to accept them. Joe Lee would have liked for them to have been able to report yesterday and get started.
Other tidbits: Joe Lee said Juco transfer Bert Keys could be the signee that could make the biggest impact. He also said that Izell McGill is one of the best CB he has ever coached
08/01/97 - Bet you didn't know this. During Jackie Sherrill's six years at Miss State, MSU's football players have been selected to the SEC Academic Honor Roll sixty times. During the six years prior to Coach Sherrill's tenure, MSU had forty-two selections. If you only look at the last three years of Coach Sherrill's tenure at MSU when most of the players have been his recruits there have been forty-six selections. Obviously, he does it the right way, but for some reason people seem not to pay much attention to the facts but just old rumors, which appear to die hard.
