Mississippi State football recruiting class 2023: Meet the early signees for Zach Arnett
STARKVILLE — A new era for Mississippi State football is underway, and the first big test for coach Zach Arnett came before he coached a game. Wednesday, exactly a week after Arnett became permanent head coach, the early signing period began.
It has been a challenging couple weeks for the Bulldogs. Former MSU coach Mike Leach died unexpectedly on Dec. 12 following complications from a heart condition. That left Mississippi State, amidst the team's mourning, in an unprecedented spot.
MSU didn't have a permanent head coach for a couple days. It still doesn't have an athletics director. All the while, Mississippi State prepared for the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 2 (11 a.m., ESPN2) and had to hold a top 25 recruiting class together.
The staff can say they've now checked one box. The early signing day was a success, highlighted by Isaac Smith's signing.
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The four-star safety out of Fulton, Mississippi, didn't offer any insight into where he was headed until his announcement Wednesday morning. With LSU making a strong push, it was unclear if the Bulldogs could secure the top prospect in the upcoming class.
Once his commitment was made, it was smooth sailing. Mississippi State secured 25 National Letter of Intent signings. The lone blemish amidst everything in the past week was the decommitment of three-star offensive tackle Joe Crocker. MSU made up for that by signing Leon Bell, a four-star junior college tackle.
Mississippi State also uncovered the leadership of four-star quarterback Chris Parson throughout this ride. Parson told the USA Today Sports Network last week that the Class of 2023 should consider it a "badge of honor" to be Leach's last class. He backed that up by becoming the first official signee.
Here's a look at the full list of Mississippi State signees.
QB Chris Parson
Vitals: 6-0.5, 200 pounds
247Sports Composite: four stars; national ranking: No. 384; position ranking: No. 25
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CB Brice Pollock
Vitals: 6-1, 175 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 449; position ranking: No. 45
RB Seth Davis
Vitals: 5-7, 170 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 617; position ranking: No. 43
CB Luke Evans
Vitals: 6-1.5, 165 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 617; position ranking: No. 61
OT Jayden Hobson
Vitals: 6-5, 293 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: N/A; position ranking: No. 135
LB Ty Jones
Vitals: 6-1, 223 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 466; position ranking: No. 38
Edge Joseph Head
Vitals: 6-4, 218 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 617; position ranking: No. 59
LB Tabias Hinton
Vitals: 6-3, 215 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 552; position ranking: No. 47
OT Zay Alexander
Vitals: 6-7, 315 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 543; position ranking: No. 42
LB Zakari Tillman
Vitals: 6-2, 230 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: N/A; position ranking: No. 82
OT Malik Ellis
Vitals: 6-5, 245 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 849; position ranking: No. 67
OL Amari Smith
Vitals: 6-7, 295 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 815; position ranking: No. 67
WR Justin Brown
Vitals: 6-0, 183 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 573; position ranking: No. 81
WR Jacoby Bellazar (juco)
Vitals: 5-11, 175 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 22; position ranking: No. 4
RB Jeffery Pittman (juco)
Vitals: 5-11, 200 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 36; position ranking: No. 1
DL Gabriel Moore
Vitals: 6-4, 250 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 826; position ranking: No. 90
DL Caleb Bryant
Vitals: 6-3, 250 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 473; position ranking: No. 53
ATH Creed Whittemore
Vitals: 5-11.5, 175 pounds
247Sports Composite: four stars; national ranking: No. 331; position ranking: No. 13
S Kelley Jones
Vitals: 6-4, 178 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 815; position ranking: No. 70
WR Nakai Poole
Vitals: 6-3, 205 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 837; position ranking: No. 115
DL Eric Taylor (juco)
Vitals: 6-4, 295 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 48; position ranking: No. 7
OT Leon Bell (juco)
Vitals: 6-8, 300 pounds
247Sports Composite: four stars; national ranking: No. 6; position ranking: No. 2
S Isaac Smith
Vitals: 6-0, 200 pounds
247Sports Composite: four stars; national ranking: No. 162; position ranking: No.10
CB Jaylen Aborom
Vitals: 6-2; 180 pounds
247Sports Composite: three stars; national ranking: No. 727; position ranking: No. 75
P Keelan Crimmins
Vitals: 6-3, 200 pounds
247Sports Composite: not rated
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football recruiting class 2023: Meet early signees
