Published Jul 2, 2024
SEC Spotlight: Mississippi State snags 14 June commitments
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Adam Gorney  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Director
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@adamgorney

Other than the weeks leading up to National Signing Day in December, there is no busier time on the recruiting calendar now than the month of June.

The SEC had 102 commitments in the month. Today, we look at which programs won June and which ones didn’t with the 2025 class.

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MISSISSIPPI STATE - 14

RELATED: Mississippi State commit list

Jeff Lebby and his staff used June to spark the Mississippi State recruiting class, which started June with only four pledges and ended it with 18.

It was a very productive month in Starkville as the Bulldogs were led by commitments from four-star RB Geron Johnson and four-star OL Mario Nash Jr.

Alabama is the new front-runner for four-star WR Caleb Cunningham, who plays down the road from Mississippi State, so flipping that one back has to be top priority.

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SOUTH CAROLINA - 11

RELATED: South Carolina commit list

The Gamecocks already have 17 commitments in the 2025 class – and June was an incredibly busy month with a strong number of 11 pledges.

There was only one four-star commit in the bunch as Taylors (S.C.) Eastside Jaquavious Dodd picked South Carolina but linebackers Taeshawn Alston and AJ Holloway are big pickups along with flipping QB Cutter Woods, who had been committed to Wake Forest.

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ALABAMA - 10

RELATED: Alabama commit list

Any discussion or overblown concern that first-year coach Kalen DeBoer could not recruit in the SEC was put to bed in June. The Crimson Tide landed 10 commitments in the month and eight of them were four-stars led by Mission Viejo, Calif., cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. Flipping four-star QB Keelon Russell was also big.

Alabama took major steps to put together its future offensive linemen with pledges from Michael Carroll, Mal Waldrep, Micah Debose and Jackson Lloyd.

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ARKANSAS - 9

RELATED: Arkansas commit list

It was a productive month for Sam Pittman and his coaching staff as the Razorbacks added more than half of their recruiting class in June. While there were no four-star commitments – and Arkansas is just inside the top-40 nationally – there were some big recruiting wins with pledges from WR Antonio Jordan (a big in-state target), DE Trent Sellers and ATH Keiundre Johnson, all high three-stars.

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GEORGIA - 8

RELATED: Georgia commit list

Georgia needs no help putting together elite recruiting classes and the Bulldogs are on their way again with June recruiting solid. High four-stars WR Talyn Taylor and LB Zayden Walker led the way.

Flipping four-star defensive end Isaiah Gibson from USC was huge and Georgia also landed some other elite receiver talent. Getting the five-star, in-state big dogs – Justus Terry and Elijah Griffin – is the next priority.

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KENTUCKY - 8

RELATED: Kentucky commit list

Kentucky added more than half of its recruiting class in June and the Wildcats loaded up with talented four-stars led by ATH Ja’kayden Ferguson, DE Cedric Works and DB Andrew Purcell.

Ferguson was the biggest surprise as he was focused on other programs earlier this offseason and his versatility should be huge in Lexington as he can play receiver or defensive back.

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TENNESSEE - 6

RELATED: Tennessee commit list

It was a strong month for Tennessee and that starts at the top with the commitment of five-star offensive lineman Douglas Utu from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman. Whether he ends up at right tackle or inside, Utu simply does not lose against any defensive linemen and he was a massive pickup for the Vols.

Tennessee also did a great job loading up on the defensive line with four pledges in June led by Elkhart (Ind.) Central four-star Mariyon Dye.

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VANDERBILT - 6

RELATED: Vanderbilt commit list

Entering June, Vanderbilt had only three commitments but the Commodores added six players in the month as it looks for a spark to keep going. High three-star DB Cayden Daniels was the biggest win for Vanderbilt but there could be some sleepers among the group. Three-star WR Cameran Dickson could be one as he caught 58 passes for nearly 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns last season at Corpus Christi (Texas) Flour Bluff.

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AUBURN - 5

RELATED: Auburn commit list

The two biggest commitments were from in-state players as Hugh Freeze and his staff flipped productive four-star running back Alvin Henderson and landed versatile four-star defensive back Eric Winters out of Enterprise, Ala.

It was not a super busy month of commitments but a lot of groundwork was laid by the Tigers and the big fish is five-star QB Julian Lewis, who remains committed to USC but is looking at Auburn and Colorado.

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MISSOURI - 5

RELATED: Missouri commit list

Every commit in Missouri’s class has come since April 4 with five last month, led by four-star running back Jamarion Morrow from Memphis (Tenn.) Melrose.

The Tigers tried hard with five-star OL Michael Fasusi and others and while that looks like it won’t happen now, it was still a decent month.

Former Notre Dame WR commit Shaun Terry has committed and he adds a big boost of speed and playmaking ability.

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OLE MISS - 5

RELATED: Ole Miss commit list

It was a mixed bag for Ole Miss in June as the Rebels added five prospects but also suffered five decommits for a net zero gain on the month. Landing four-star DT Andrew Maddox, who will join his QB brother in Oxford, was a big win as was getting four-star DB Keon Young.

But Ole Miss lost four-star RB Akylin Dear, an in-state prospect who could end up at Alabama, along with the four-star WR duo of Jerome Myles and Dillon Alfred.

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FLORIDA - 4

RELATED: Florida commit list

The Gators only have eight total commitments and they’re ranked No. 63 nationally so things are not exactly going swimmingly in Gainesville. But June was a step in the right direction as Florida landed half its recruiting class, led by pledges from four-star pass-catchers Joshua Moore and Tae’shaun Gelsey, who was really impressive at the Rivals Five-Star.

Florida did strike out on a bunch of QB targets, though, so how that progresses moving forward will be interesting.

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OKLAHOMA - 4

RELATED: Oklahoma commit list

It was not an incredibly busy month of commitments for Oklahoma in June but the Sooners had some massive recruiting weekends that should pay dividends down the road.

Two receivers – Emmanuel Choice and Marcus Harris – along with versatile offensive lineman Darius Afalava and DE CJ Nickson joined the class last month.

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TEXAS A&M - 3

RELATED: Texas A&M commit list

First-year coach Mike Elko and his staff put in a ton of work through June to line up potential future commitments but many of the top targets – especially in-state recruits – just haven’t pulled the trigger yet. It could be an even busier July and August so it’s something to watch.

As for June, getting four-star tight end Kiotti Armstrong on board was huge, four-star LB Noah Mikhail is a versatile playmaker and three-star WR Tristan Norman could be a game-breaker.

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LSU - 2

RELATED: LSU commit list

LSU got back in the mix with five-star receiver Dakorien Moore and there are many other targets still waiting to make decisions, especially after busy weekends in Baton Rouge. But as for commitments, it was pretty quiet.

Four-star OL Carius Curne and four-star DE LaJesse Harrold, who’s just scratching the surface, were the only additions.

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TEXAS - 2

RELATED: Texas commit list

As for commitments, it was a very quiet month for Texas as it landed three-star OL John Mills and three-star DB Caleb Chester. But there might not be a program in the SEC – or even the country – that laid the groundwork for future success in June better than the Longhorns. They are chasing receivers Dakorien Moore, Jaime Ffrench and Kaliq Lockett, among others, along with five-star Michael Fasusi.