Where the top 2025 prospects from Mississippi signed

The state of Mississippi produced 12 blue-chip prospects in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. All 12 signed with a college program earlier this month.

Eight of those recruits stayed in the Magnolia State, with five heading to Ole Miss and three heading to Mississippi State. Auburn, Alabama, Florida State and LSU each inked one, too.

Below are where the top 10 prospects from Mississippi in the 2025 cycle signed during the Early Signing Period:

1. WR Caleb Cunningham — Ole Miss

School: Ackerman Choctaw County
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 21 NATL. (No. 3 WR)

Scouting Summary: “Bouncy outside receiver with the upside to become a skilled ball-winner. Measured at a shade 6-foot-2, 180 pounds with 32-inch arms and 9-inch hands prior to his senior season. Moves well at his size on film. Shows the ability to come down with catches in contested situations. Hangs in the air to come down with acrobatic grabs. Naturally coordinated and can locate the football at its highest point.

…Also shows some ability to make defenders miss after the catch. Increased his production as a junior, catching 48 passes for 1,138 yards and 14 touchdowns. Production tailed off a bit as a senior. Doubles as a fantastic high school basketball player, who has perhaps the best dunk reel among 2025 football prospects. Lives above the rim, throwing down electric dunks with regularity. Has considerable natural ability but will need to hone his technical skill at the position over the final few years of high school football, including expanding his route tree. Older for the cycle, turning 19 years old as a senior. Has considerable upside with continued technical development.”

2. QB Deuce Knight – Auburn

School: Lucedale George County
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 27 NATL. (No. 5 QB)

Scouting Summary: “Big left-handed signal caller who is the top combine athlete at the position in the 2025 cycle. Measured in at 6-foot-4.5, 208 pounds with a 9.75-inch hand at the On3 Elite Series prior to his senior season. Registers as a truly elite athlete at quarterback and one of the best athletes in the 2025 cycle, regardless of position. Consistently runs in the 4.5 second range at camps and has posted multiple 40+ inch vertical leaps. Shows flashes of that athleticism on Friday nights. Capable of tucking the ball and taking it to the house from anywhere on the field. Easily eliminates the angles of pursuit defenders as a scrambler and on designed runs. Tough to bring down in the backfield with his size and reactive quickness. Touts a strong downfield arm. Flashes the ability to stick throws into tight windows over the middle of the field. Showed marked progress as a passer during the off-season prior to his senior year, after a few months of working with a private coach.

… Still developing, but has tons of upside to continue improving with continued coaching and in-game reps. Had a disjointed junior season, transferring to Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tenn. before heading back to Greene County just a few games into the season. Showed some improvement as a passer as a senior. Will need to continue establishing his improvements in accuracy while also progressing in his decision-making and unlocking his immense potential as an athletic playmaker. A three-sport standout with multiple state titles in the long jump and high jump in addition to playing basketball. Has one of the highest upsides regardless of position in the 2025 cycle, but is still considered a developmental prospect. Has the potential to see the field early in his college career in a specifically tailored offense. With continued development, has the potential to be a program elevating quarterback with significant NFL upside.”

3. RB Akylin Dear — Alabama

School: Quitman
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 52 NATL. (No. 2 RB)

Scouting Summary: “Tough, skilled runner with a well-rounded skill set for the position. Has plus size, measuring in at around 6-foot, 205 pounds prior to his senior season. Should be able to easily carry 215+ pounds at the next level. A good athlete in the combine setting. A bell cow back on Friday nights as a junior. Displays advanced vision in working between the tackles. Runs with patience, setting up his blocks. Able to change tempo and quickly change gears. Shows a nice burst in accelerating to hit holes as they appear. Comfortable in working within confined spaces. Doesn’t hesitate in getting north-south. Displays outstanding contact balance. Runs through arm tackles and spins out of contact. Strong on contact and plays with a physical edge.

…A solid pass catcher. Saw an uptick in his production as a junior, rushing for over 2,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. Ran track as a sophomore, posting a personal best of 11.20 seconds in the 100 meters. Has some tightness in his lower body that can shorten his stride in the open field, affecting his top gear and long speed. Improvement on that front would improve his ability to pull away at the college level. Has a high floor as an every down back given his well-rounded skill set and looks to be one of the top runners in the 2025 cycle.”

4. QB KaMario Taylor – Mississippi State

School: Macon Noxubee County
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 75 NATL. (No. 9 QB)

Scouting Summary: “Electric playmaker behind center who is the top run threat at quarterback in the 2025 cycle. Has a big frame at 6-foot-3.5, 205 pounds with hands that measure over 10 inches. Has a plus arm. Easily drives the ball downfield. Shows the ability to rip far hash throws without strain. Effective passer on the move. The most dangerous improvisational quarterback in the 2025 cycle. Shows outstanding burst and is extremely fluid and natural with the ball in his hands. Has rare body lean and is highly slippery as a runner. Extremely tough for defenders to corral in the pocket and in open space. Can get out of jams like no other quarterback in the cycle.

… Play style often resembles backyard football. Goads defenders into chasing him on broken plays. Dangerous as a scrambler and on designed runs. Rushed for well over 1,000 yards as a senior. One of the more productive quarterbacks in the 2025 cycle, totaling 63 touchdowns as a junior while leading his team to the state title game. Far from a finished product as a passer. Will need to refine his sequencing and accuracy. Can miss seemingly routine throws, particularly in the short and intermediate areas of the field. At his best when he can play free and not overthink. Will need coaching and refinement, but physical gifts and ability with the ball in his hands gives him one of the highest upsides in the 2025 cycle if he develops.”

5. LB Tyler Lockhart — Mississippi State

School: Winona
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 159 NATL. (No. 16 LB)

Scout’s Take: “Fresh off a wild Wednesday that saw him flip twice between two in-state rivals, Tyler Lockhart showed why he is such a coveted prospect in Mississippi. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder has outstanding length and a large frame that should easily fill out. He is a twitchy mover and showed considerable range working at linebacker for the Mississippi team. We also saw Lockhart disrupt as a pass rusher and blitzer off the edge.”

6. IOL Tyler Miller — LSU

School: Laurel
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 168 NATL. (No. 11 IOL)

Miller on his commitment: “Really when I went up to LSU…the minute I went through the door Brad Davis, Dr. Arnold and others, they all felt like I was at home talking to people I knew from years. I feel myself graduating and becoming a better man there with coach Kelly.”

“I feel like I’m the closest to coach Brad,” Miller said. “That’s a person I give a lot of respect to and his hustle and his grind is amazing. My relationship with the coaching staff is family and their plan for me is having a good chance of making an impact as soon as I step on campus, but I have to work everyday and nothing is going to be given to me.”

7. CB Maison Dunn — Ole Miss

School: Tupelo
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 175 NATL. (No. 23 CB)

Coach’s Take: “Most coaches have offered and recruited him as a corner,” Tupelo head coach Ty Hardin said. “But he’s skilled enough to play safety, too. He is built like a gazelle and is going to get better and better.”

“Maison is a low-maintenance kid, quiet and easy to coach. His best football is in front of him and he’s all about business. If he can stay healthy and doing what he’s supposed to do his ceiling is high. I don’t think he’s done growing. Maison is a legit man corner type of guy. Though I do think he could grow into a safety the way defenses are these days. He can be someone to cover and lock down a slot receiver or a tight end.”

8. EDGE Tyshun Willis — Mississippi State

School: Camden Velma Jackson
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 204 NATL. (No. 26 EDGE)

Willis on Mississippi State: “It was really everything,” he said of MSU to Maroon and White Daily. “Just the love, the energy and good vibe every time I visited there. They have a great coaching staff and it just felt right to go ahead and commit.”

“Things have been good with Mississippi State,” he said. “I call them and they call me to check up on me. I’ve been talking the most with Coach (Coleman) Hutzler, Coach Lebby and another coach. They’ve been talking to me about playing jack linebacker and some different drills I can do to help my game at linebacker. They like the way I play the game and they showed me how I can work on the edge, too.”

9. DL Andrew Maddox — Ole Miss

School: Hattiesburg Oak Grove
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 234 NATL. (No. 19 DL)

Maddox on Ole Miss: “They are developing players and they won 11 games last year. Me and Coach Pete (Golding), we have a connection,” Maddox told On3 of Ole Miss in March. “He recruited me when he was at Alabama. When he moved to Ole Miss, that brought me closer to him. My brother is going there, so that’s what also drew me closer to Ole Miss. (Defensive line) coach (Randall) Joyner is like a second father to me. He’s taken me under his wing and shown me around, shown me things and we are building a relationship. I am getting to know him and I feel safe around him.” 

10. OT Mario Nash — Florida State

School: De Kalb Kemper County
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 264 NATL. (No. 21 OT)

Nash on his commitment: “I was planning to take my time with everything, then me and my family talked it over and it was a no-brainer,” Nash told On3. “I chose Florida state because they’ve been real with me since the beginning and they can help me develop, not only as a great football player but also as a young man. I feel like I’m at home there. I’m very comfortable around the staff and they feel like family.”