Mid-South Spotlight: Five surprising talent hotbeds

Rivals national recruiting analyst Cole Patterson highlights some surprising and under-the-radar talent hotbeds located in the Mid-South region.

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East Texas, better known as Beast Texas, is well-known inside the Lone Star State for producing elite football talent. But the region does not receive the same amount of hype that the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex or the Greater Houston Area get.

The area of Texas is always loaded, but that's especially evident in the 2024 recruiting cycle. Texas A&M athlete commit Terry Bussey, Oklahoma running back commit Taylor Tatum and Texas A&M defensive line commit Dealyn Evans are a few of the headliners. Texas athlete pledge Aeryn Hampton and UCLA running back pledge Derrick McFall are two others set to play on the collegiate level next fall.

Of course, the talent continues over to future recruiting cycles, too. Lance Jackson, the younger brother of Arkansas standout Landon Jackson, is ranked inside the 2025 Rivals250 and is just one of many prospects worth mentioning. Despite the number of smaller cities and towns, East Texas holds its weight with other hotbeds in the Mid-South region.

When discussing talent hotbeds, the city of Laurel, Miss. is probably never going to be brought up in a national discussion. However, there has been real talent being produced out of the area, especially in recent years, that deserves to be highlighted in a meaningful way.

Laurel High School was the home of 2019 five-star recruit and recent first-round NFL Draft pick Charles Cross. But it has not stopped there. Just last cycle, the school sent two lineman to the FBS level in Mississippi State signee Malik Ellis and Memphis signee Malachi Breland.

There's more in the pipeline, too. Newly-minted four-star recruit Tyler Miller is next up. Miller has emerged as one of the more coveted prospects in the region, with recent offers coming in from SEC powers Alabama, Georgia and LSU. The city with a population of just 17,161 has become a hotbed for offensive line play.

Mississippi has earned a reputation of producing elite-level play in the trenches, especially along the defensive line. But quarterback play is quickly becoming a strength inside the Magnolia State borders.

On the collegiate level, Arkansas standout KJ Jefferson and Illinois starter Luke Altmyer both call Mississippi home. That said, the talent behind center is really showing up in the next few cycles. For instance, Texas A&M pledge Anthony Maddox Jr and Illinois commit Trey Petty are both set to play in the Power Five while John White is committed to play at Southern Miss.

Looking ahead, Deuce Knight is considered one of the premier quarterback prospects in the 2025 recruiting cycle and he's set to play at Notre Dame. Kamario Taylor is a toolsy athlete behind center that has made an early pledge to Mississippi State.

The state of Arkansas has become one of the best in churning out talent at the running back position. Dating all the way back to former Razorbacks star Darren McFadden to now, the ball carriers in the Natural State have been extremely impressive. Four-star Braylen Russell leads the way in the 2024 class, as Sam Pittman and company won out for his commitment in the summer.

Rivals250 running back Daniel Anderson is next in line. Anderson committed to Notre Dame over a host of other offers earlier this season and is off to a productive junior campaign. If you're a program in need of a tailback, the state of Arkansas is a great place to look.

Located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Lovejoy High School has quietly emerged as a wide receiver factory. A year ago, the school produced two FBS wideouts in LSU signee Kyle Parker and SMU signee Jaxson Lavender. And there's more still on the way.

Rivals250 wide receiver and Texas commit Parker Livingstone headlines the school's receiver corps this fall. Beyond him, 2025 Rivals250 WR Daylan McCutcheon, who was just offered by Ohio State, and 2026 Rivals100 athlete Jalen Lott are elite options in the passing game. That's without including 2025 Rivals250 tight end Bear Tenney. Needless to say, there is a lot of success at catching the football and making explosive plays coming out of Lovejoy.