OXFORD, Miss. — The Magnolia State offers some of the best athletes in America every single recruiting cycle. Just in the 2025 class alone, Mississippi has nine in-state prospects which is the sixth most in America, per 247sports.
There are currently seven Mississippians ranked in the the top-250 for 2026. Now, most sophomores have yet to play many snaps at the varsity level which makes scouting camps for athletes much greater tools to be noticed. With seven in the top-100 so far that could mean more can be added throughout the fall and into their junior seasons.
Only two Mississippi prospects are currently committed for 2026. On the flip side, not a single one of the 2027 crop of talented athletes has yet to make a decision. Here’s where the state’s rising sophomores rank, according to 247sports evaluation.
OT CADEN MOSS, No. 9 overall
The 6-foot-5, 275 pound offensive tackle ranks as the top overall prospect at his position among sophomores. Both Ole Miss and Mississippi State are on him along with Tennessee.
Auburn, Kentucky and Georgia have expressed interest in Moss. He moves well for such a young, long body who take pride over protecting his quarterback.
WR DESHAWN DILLON, No. 22 overall
Both in-state SEC schools have shown interest in Dillon with scholarship offers so far. He enters 247sports initial 2027 ranking as the third best receiver in America.
A native of Brandon, he excels in football and basketball for North Rankin and holds a basketball offer from the Rebels as a point guard. He averaged nearly 14 points and five rebounds.
RB TY KEYS, No. 36 overall
The nation’s No. 7 athlete in the country is explosive as anyone in the country for his size at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds. Keys rushed for over 1,200 yards and 24 touchdowns and runs a verified 4.5 40-yard dash.
Programs across the nation have already heard about the Poplarville native as he holds offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Oregon, Penn State, UCF, Boston College and others. He’s also a standout baseball player as he hit .324 as a freshman with 17 RBI’s and 2 home runs.Â
CB DOLPH MCDONALD, No. 49 overall
McDonald burst onto the scene as freshman in style playing both sides of the ball for Morton. The 6-foot-1, 170 pound athlete is a projected defensive back at the college level after picking off seven passes in 11 games a year ago.
He did it all forcing 65 tackles, five tackles for loss, four pass breakups and three fumble recoveries. On offense, he caught 11 passes for 195 yards and another three touchdowns.
DL BENJARVUS SHUMAKER, No. 65 overall
Shumaker has experienced an active summer with three offers from Florida State, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. He has great size at 6-foot-3, 270 pounds and will is very aggressive at the point of attack.Â
He’s certainly one to keep an eye on as he develops at Choctaw County High School in Ackerman. Shumaker is teammates with 2025 5-star wide receiver and Alabama commit Caleb Cunningham.
