Mississippi State trending to flip Arkansas 4-star commit Julius Pope

Batesville (Miss.) South Panola four-star linebacker Julius Pope committed to Arkansas back in April, but one school in particular hasn’t given up their pursuit of him.

The Razorbacks’ SEC rival, Mississippi State is looking to keep one of its top in-state targets home and is now trending to do so, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

Following an expert pick from Bulldogs recruiting insider Paul Jones, the RPM heavily favors Mississippi State to reel back in one of its top 2024 targets.

The 6-foot, 195-pounder is the No. 355 overall prospect and No. 32 linebacker in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 11 player in Mississippi.

“Pope committed to Arkansas this past spring and officially visited the Razorbacks in June,” Jones wrote on Wednesday. “But he remains in regular contact with the State staff and is a priority for the Bulldogs. State wants to sign at least one running back in this recruiting cycle and Pope appears to be tops on that board. Pope also has plans to officially visit Mississippi State in December and that month could get very interesting with his recruitment.”

Bulldogs will have to overcome Pope’s strong relationships with Arkansas

Pope had stayed fairly quiet on the recruiting trail up until January. He picked up an offer from Alabama on Jan. 28 and that offer was followed up by offers from Michigan, Arkansas, Louisville and Oregon.

The Razorbacks extended their offer to Pope on Jan. 31 and he was on campus in Fayetteville in early March. A month later, he committed.

“Coach Pitt is a great guy and he keeps it real,” Pope told On3 following the visit. “He makes it fun. I spent time with him and Marcus Woodson on the visit. Coach Woodson is a great coach and fun to be around too.”

The Bulldogs currently have the No. 30 recruiting class nationally in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings but are looking to add to it. Head coach Zach Arnett and Co. only have 16 commitments as it stands today, but according to Jones they have a few more flips in mind and will also hit the transfer portal and junior college level heavy this offseason.