Mississippi State trending with 5-star WR target Caleb Cunningham

Jeff Lebby‘s new coach staff at Mississippi State isn’t shying away from anyone on the recruiting trail in his first offseason as the Bulldogs head coach.

MSU finished out the 2024 class strong, by landing four-star wide receiver Braylon Burnside, along with four-star quarterback Michael Van Buren. With this cycle all but wrapped up, the Bulldogs sit just outside the top 25 of the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

And they’re looking to make even bigger moves in the 2025 class, and they appear to be doing just that. The Bulldogs are trending heavily in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) for one of the nation’s top 2025 recruits, five-star Ackerman (Miss.) Chocktaw County wideout Caleb Cunningham.

That follows expert predictions from MaroonandWhite.com recruiting insider Paul Jones, as well as On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman and Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons. With all of those taken into account, the RPM gives MSU an 87 percent chance of securing Cunningham’s eventual commitment.

“Going into the visit, the buzz was around the Bulldogs,” Simmons wrote. “Coming out, the buzz has gone to another level. The No. 10 prospect in the 2025 On3 Industry Rankings plans to name his Top 10 schools later this month and Mississippi State is setting the pace. It was his first visit to Starkville since Lebby became head coach and it couldn’t have gone any better. I have logged a pick for Mississippi State on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Cunningham excited about the Bulldogs’ momentum

The in-state star has already been strongly considering MSU, but it appears the hiring of offensive mastermind Lebby and the recruiting wins that are stacking up is only adding to it.

When Van Buren announce his commitment on last month, Cunningham responded by tweeting, “This is getting interesting! I’m loving it.”

The Bulldogs will have to battle a who’s who of major contenders to land him, though. LSU, Alabama, Florida State, and more than 20 other programs have also extended offers, with Cunningham taking visits to multiple campuses in the past six months.

He hasn’t given any indication that a decision is coming soon, but told Simmons in August what he is looking for in a school.

“It is about who stays in contact with me and who makes me feel wanted,” he said. Those schools have done a very good job with that. I have visited each except for Auburn and USC too, so I have a feel for the campus, I have met the coaches and I like the feeling with those schools.

… Then it is about the fit. I think I could fit into those offenses well, make an impact early and do well at those schools.”

Cunningham is the No. 10 overall recruit in the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He ranks as the nation’s No. 2 wide receiver and the No. 1 prospect in Mississippi.