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Mississippi State

Mississippi State lands commitment from South Alabama transfer RB Fluff Bothwell

by:Alex Byington•12/24/24•

_AlexByington

jeff lebby
Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Jeff Lebby and Mississippi State locked up a key commitment out of the transfer portal on Christmas Eve.

South Alabama transfer running back Fluff Bothwell committed to the Bulldogs on Tuesday, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

The 5-foot-10, 225-pound Bothwell racked up 832 yards and 13 touchdowns on 111 carries as a true freshman this season at South Alabama. Bothwell is the third-ranked running back in the portal, according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings.

As a member of the Class of 2024, Bothwell was a three-star recruit out of Oneonta (Ala.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 69 overall prospect in the state, the No. 126 running back in the class and the No. 1,651 overall prospect in the class.

Bothwell chose Mississippi State over interest from Arizona, Cincinnati and Ole Miss.

Fluff Bothwell details Mississippi State official visit

Bothwell took an official visit to Starkville last weekend and came away impressed.

“I’ve been up there before and it was a good visit,” Bothwell told the Maroon and White Daily. “I like their coaching staff and they’ve got a good staff. We got to tour the facilities and see what they have to offer. We looked at what they have to offer from a recovery standpoint with their training staff. I thought that visit helped Mississippi State.”

Naturally, Bothwell spent a lot of time on that visit with head coach Jeff Lebby. He received a detailed look at the offense and was told often how big of a priority he is to the Bulldogs.

“It was great with Coach Lebby,” added Bothwell, an Alabama native. “He’s an awesome guy. We got to look at his offense and he basically runs the same offense I just came from. So it’s an offense I’m used to. They really put a hat on needing a No. 1 running back so that stood out to me, also.”

While on campus, Bothwell noted of the connections he witnessed within State’s coaching staff. He believes they offer both sides of the equation from a player-coach relationship.

“Overall, I like the bond they have with their coaches,” noted Bothwell. “They’re gonna coach you hard but they also have that togetherness and that bond with their players. I like that.”

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

Nick Kosko and Paul Jones contributed to this report.