This article was published by Rosebowl today. It's actually interesting & doesn't really have any underhanded jabs at Ole Miss which makes me wonder if he even wrote it. Maybe he was asked to write a fair and balanced article for once.
Steve RobertsonSTAFF
Posted on 108 mins, , User Since 260 months ago, User Post Count: 109040
2019 was supposed to be a loaded class in the state of Mississippi. From an offer standpoint it was as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU and others pursued some instate prospects with vigor. Ten of the top 20 prospects in the 247Sports Composite elected to sign with out of state programs. Very few of them found any measure of success on the college level.
Nine of the top 20 players ended up transferring from their original schools. Even with the change of scenery not many of them made an impact in their new school colors. What the last few years have shown us is that we had some really good prospects in the state that class, but some were overhyped, over recruited and over ranked.
The experts got it right with Charles Cross (Laurel) as the top prospect and Nakobe Dean (Horn Lake) at number two. Both were accomplished college players who signed for big bucks with NFL teams. Cross went in the first round to the Seattle Seahawks and Dean to the Eagles in the 3rd round. There were not a ton of wins the rest of the way in the rankings.
Jerrion Ealy was a bit overvalued as a five-star, but he did pretty together a good college career at Ole Miss. When his time in Oxford was up, he went undrafted. Mississippi State's Nathan Pickering still has a year of eligibility remaining, but so far has not realized the potential that made him the state's #4 prospect.
Byron Young was rated the 5th best prospect. After a strong career at Alabama, Young signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as a 3rd rounder. Looking back, Young had the best college career of any instate defensive line prospect.
Jaren Handy of Hattiesburg is now attending his third school. Handy spent a couple of years at Auburn before transferring to Indiana. After being dismissed from the Hoosiers' program, Handy settled at UNC-Charlotte where he will spend his senior season this fall.
Brandon Turnage was ranked as the #7 player in the state. Turnage showed some flashes, but never became the player many expected him to be in Tuscaloosa. After entering the transfer portal. Turnage landed at Tennessee where he played as a part-time starter in 2022. Turnage has one more season to write his college legacy.
Wide receiver Dannis Jackson is another prospect that many were especially bullish on. In three seasons at Ole Miss, Jackson had 19 receptions and two touchdowns. Jackson elected to move on from Ole Miss and is now at Missouri looking to make something of his remaining eligibility.
Mississippi State's De'Monte Russell had his career sidetracked by a serious car accident and returned to SEC playing shape last year. Russell could play for two more seasons with a medical hardship year. So far, he has not produced what many expected. He still has some time now that he is back to good health.
Auburn's Derick Hall was considered a tweener by many in the industry, but he proved to be the Tiger's best defensive player. One his time on the Plains was over, he was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft.
Some other players who out performed their ranking were K.J. Jefferson (North Panola), Snoop Conner (Hattiesburg) and Jonathan Mingo (Brandon). Jefferson is a huge star at Arkansas and is expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC this fall. Conner is now a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Mingo was drafted in the second round earlier this year by the Carolina Panthers.
It turns out that many of the top college players from the 2019 instate class came from prospects ranked outside of the top 15. The class was top heavy in the eyes of evaluators, but proved to have a lot of depth when it was all said and done. We just had the wrong amount of stars listed by the wrong names.
Steve RobertsonSTAFF
Posted on 108 mins, , User Since 260 months ago, User Post Count: 109040
- 108 mins
- 260 months
- 109040
2019 was supposed to be a loaded class in the state of Mississippi. From an offer standpoint it was as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU and others pursued some instate prospects with vigor. Ten of the top 20 prospects in the 247Sports Composite elected to sign with out of state programs. Very few of them found any measure of success on the college level.
Nine of the top 20 players ended up transferring from their original schools. Even with the change of scenery not many of them made an impact in their new school colors. What the last few years have shown us is that we had some really good prospects in the state that class, but some were overhyped, over recruited and over ranked.
The experts got it right with Charles Cross (Laurel) as the top prospect and Nakobe Dean (Horn Lake) at number two. Both were accomplished college players who signed for big bucks with NFL teams. Cross went in the first round to the Seattle Seahawks and Dean to the Eagles in the 3rd round. There were not a ton of wins the rest of the way in the rankings.
Jerrion Ealy was a bit overvalued as a five-star, but he did pretty together a good college career at Ole Miss. When his time in Oxford was up, he went undrafted. Mississippi State's Nathan Pickering still has a year of eligibility remaining, but so far has not realized the potential that made him the state's #4 prospect.
Byron Young was rated the 5th best prospect. After a strong career at Alabama, Young signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as a 3rd rounder. Looking back, Young had the best college career of any instate defensive line prospect.
Jaren Handy of Hattiesburg is now attending his third school. Handy spent a couple of years at Auburn before transferring to Indiana. After being dismissed from the Hoosiers' program, Handy settled at UNC-Charlotte where he will spend his senior season this fall.
Brandon Turnage was ranked as the #7 player in the state. Turnage showed some flashes, but never became the player many expected him to be in Tuscaloosa. After entering the transfer portal. Turnage landed at Tennessee where he played as a part-time starter in 2022. Turnage has one more season to write his college legacy.
Wide receiver Dannis Jackson is another prospect that many were especially bullish on. In three seasons at Ole Miss, Jackson had 19 receptions and two touchdowns. Jackson elected to move on from Ole Miss and is now at Missouri looking to make something of his remaining eligibility.
Mississippi State's De'Monte Russell had his career sidetracked by a serious car accident and returned to SEC playing shape last year. Russell could play for two more seasons with a medical hardship year. So far, he has not produced what many expected. He still has some time now that he is back to good health.
Auburn's Derick Hall was considered a tweener by many in the industry, but he proved to be the Tiger's best defensive player. One his time on the Plains was over, he was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft.
Some other players who out performed their ranking were K.J. Jefferson (North Panola), Snoop Conner (Hattiesburg) and Jonathan Mingo (Brandon). Jefferson is a huge star at Arkansas and is expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC this fall. Conner is now a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Mingo was drafted in the second round earlier this year by the Carolina Panthers.
It turns out that many of the top college players from the 2019 instate class came from prospects ranked outside of the top 15. The class was top heavy in the eyes of evaluators, but proved to have a lot of depth when it was all said and done. We just had the wrong amount of stars listed by the wrong names.
