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National Signing Day 2016: Ranking and grading each SEC football recruiting class

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Feb 3, 2016; Gordo, AL, USA; Gordo High School linebacker Ben Davis fields questions after committing to the Alabama Crimson Tide at the University of Alabama during national signing day at Gordo High School. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 3, 2016; Gordo, AL, USA; Gordo High School linebacker Ben Davis fields questions after committing to the Alabama Crimson Tide at the University of Alabama during national signing day at Gordo High School. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 28, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen runs onto the field with his players before the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi won 38-27. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen runs onto the field with his players before the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi won 38-27. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

Mississippi State has won 19 games combined over the past two seasons, and is one of the greatest stretches of success in school history, having gone to a record six consecutive bowl games. Head coach Dan Mullen has built the Bulldogs into a consistent winner despite never finishing higher than eighth in the SEC in 247Sports’ recruiting rankings since taking over in 2009.

While the track record is great for Mullen and his coaching staff finding underrated and under-recruited players – such as record-setting quarterback Dak Prescott, whom the team must now replace – it’s difficult to see Mississippi State continuing to rise unless the level of talent recruited to Starkville improves.

And, with a class ranked No. 31 in the nation and No. 11 in the SEC following a near-disastrous Signing Day (only snagging five-star defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons saved the day), things are trending in the wrong direction.

Instant Impact Performer: WR/TE Dontae Jones

Fred Ross was Mississippi State’s top receiver last year with 88 receptions for 1,007 yards, but the Bulldogs will be without their most talented and physically gifted wideout, De’Runnya Wilson, who left school early for the NFL. With Wilson gone, State’s new quarterback will need a receiving weapon to take the pressure off of Ross. No. 2 junior college recruit Dontae Jones, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound receiver/tight end, could play that role.

On the defensive side of the football, early enrollee cornerbacks Lashard Durr and C.J. Morgan-Walker could play themselves into the mix in the secondary with a strong performance this spring. However, Simmons, who is the highest-rated player in the class, the No. 1 player in Mississippi and the No. 3 defensive end in the nation has the talent to compete for early playing time.

Underrated Signee: OL Dareuan Parker

Parker will be overshadowed by Stewart Reese (as well as “the one that got away,” Scott Lashley), but he’s a project that could develop into one of Mullen’s patented overachievers. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, Parker has an ideal frame for an SEC offensive lineman, and is strong, but he must develop better mechanics and mobility. He projects as a guard, and would benefit from redshirting, as well as a full season in the strength and conditioning program.

Also, be on the lookout for 6-foot-2, 170-pound athlete Cameron Dantzler, an electric high school quarterback that could contribute at any of a number of positions in the coming years.

Unanswered Question: Will Mullen’s luck run out?

State is a much better program now than when Mullen arrived seven years ago, thanks in large part to him and his coaching staff finding unheralded players and developing them into not only SEC starters and eventually NFL draft picks. And, while Mullen could have jumped ship for more fertile recruiting ground and a less competitive conference, he’s chosen to stay in Starkville and continue to build the Bulldogs into a contender in the SEC West.

But, is it conceivable for Mullen to continue to find diamonds in the rough that the rest of the league misses, or will his luck eventually run out?

Complete 2016 Mississippi State Football Recruiting Class:

Final Thoughts: Mississippi State will probably never win a recruiting national title, and odds are they will continue to be overshadowed by the elite talent the “school up north” has brought in consistently since Hugh Freeze took over in Oxford. However, if Mullen can find hidden gems – and there are plenty of candidates in his 2016 recruiting class – an SEC title is possible in the not-too-distant future.

Next: South Carolina

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