Mississippi State Head Coach Zach Arnett Emphasizes Importance of In-State Recruiting

With the Super Bowl approaching, four former Bulldogs prepare for the biggest game of the year. However, it's not just those four men who represent Mississippi State, twenty-eight NFL players have come from Mississippi State, and nineteen of them were recruited out of high schools or junior colleges in Mississippi.

In a recent appearance on 'SEC This Morning', new Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett emphasized the importance of in-state recruiting. "All you gotta do is turn on any NFL game any time of year and you're going to see some Mississippi State talent," says Arnett. Many players in various positions have shown the talent that comes from State. Arnett refers to these men as 'difference makers' who show what it means to represent Mississippi State in the Super Bowl.

One of the biggest positions is defensive lineman. Kansas City Chiefs' very own Chris Jones is a Houston, Mississippi native and was listed as a five-star recruit for the Bulldogs. Jones' sack during the last offensive play in the win over the Bengals gave the Chiefs possession of the ball leading to the game-winning field goal opportunity. 

On the opposing team heading into the contest for the Lombardi Trophy is the Eagles' Fletcher Cox from Yazoo, Mississippi. These players are two of the highest-paid defensive lineman in the NFL. After having been recruited and developed by Mississippi State's new defensive line coach, David Turner, Arnett classifies the pair as "easily the best defensive linemen in the NFL".

Kansas City linebacker Willie Gay Jr. is the newest of the four former players to the NFL but still a threat to watch out for on the middle field. Having come from Mississippi State, Gay is a Starkville native and brought his high school team to the state championship, now playing in the Super Bowl.

Lastly, is Darius Slay, who left his mark as one the best cornerback to ever play at Mississippi State, Slay is ready to highlight himself again as a star cornerback alongside Cox, and play in the Super Bowl again for the first time since 2015. Although born in Georgia, Darius Slay was a Juco transfer who still left his legacy with the Bulldogs.

Landing more players with Mississippi connections that reach the heights that those like Jones, Cox, Gay and Slay will be big for the program moving forward.

"If we do our job recruiting in state and keeping the best players in the state coming right here to Mississippi State, and then we expand outward from there and our recruiting footprint really gotta be about 250-300 mile radius around campus, and within that circle, you draw it, there are plenty of players to compete in and win in the SEC west."

With so many recruits making the choice to come to Mississippi State, it's easy to watch and highlight where Arnett pulls them from. His tactic has definitely been proven successful since not only four, but nineteen talented NFL players, are Mississippi native NFL players.