Samuel talks Mississippi State pledge

Some schools wanted him to play defense. Others seemed to lose interest.

But Mississippi State was always there.

And on Sunday, wide receiver Artimas Samuel of Columbus (Ga.) Carver rewarded the Bulldogs for sticking with him. Samuel, a 6-feet-2, 205-pounder committed to Mississippi State as a greyshirt, meaning he would enroll in January of 2013.

"I'm going to Hargrave [Military Academy] for one semester, then I'll be at Mississippi State in January," Samuel said. "I'll be able to go through the spring. I'll get to Hargrave in August, and play there one season."

Samuel visited Mississippi State this weekend.

"It was great," he said. "I love the coaches and the atmosphere was amazing. I had a blast. I had a great time with the coaches. They were honest, and that was the most important part to me. They didn't sugarcoat anything."

Samuel said he couldn't be part of the 2012 class because of numbers. Even so, he was excited to join the Bulldogs next year.

"A lot of coaches quit coming to Carver and some schools kind of fell back," Samuel said. "Mississippi State stuck by me. They never quit. I appreciate that. They're a top team in the SEC in my eyes. They're on the rise. It's a great program. It's fine [to greyshirt] as long as I get down there, and I'm able to help when I get there."

According to Samuel, he had approximately 30 catches in 2011, including six for touchdowns. His team reached the state semifinals.

Keith Niebuhr can be reached at Keithrivals@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.