2026 athlete prospect Iverson McCoy explains Mississippi State decision
Tupelo High School’s Iverson McCoy has enjoyed a successful offseason and that featured a trio of SEC offers this spring. But on Monday, the 2026 athlete prospect wasted little time making his college decision.
McCoy announced his commitment to Mississippi State and became the third commitment for head coach Jeff Lebby and the Bulldogs’ Class of 2026. Earlier in the day, his teammate and 2026 running back Jaeden Hill also committed to State.
“It was really their coaching,” McCoy explained. “I like the way they coach and it’s like a fatherly coach. They tell you when they are wrong but they will pick you back up. They will show you how to correct things and tell you when you did well. I also love the fans there and they take care of their players.”
McCoy also holds offers from Ole Miss, Kentucky, Liberty and UAB among others. He has been a regular visitor to State’s campus over the past several months and noted of his good connections with Bulldog assistants Corey Bell and Chad Bumphis.
“I’ve been over there a couple of times this year,” added McCoy. “I’ve been over there for a couple of camps and a couple of games, too. It’s always great there and I really talk to Coach Bell and Coach Bump the most. It’s been great with Coach Bell. When I went to their camp he was on me and teaching me a lot of things.”
Naturally, Bumphis is a well-known name in Tupelo after starring at Tupelo High School before making his way to Mississippi State. And McCoy has enjoyed his time around Bumphis so far during the recruiting process.
“Coach Bump knows Tupelo really well, of course,” McCoy remarked. “In the recruiting process, Coach Bump has been fun. He showed me around the campus when I visited there and showed me everything. He is just a great coach overall.”
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This past season as a sophomore, McCoy played a couple of positions in the Golden Wave secondary and finished the season with 26 tackles, five PBUs and one fumble recovery. At the next level, he is eager to see where he may fit in State’s defensive backfield.
“They are recruiting me as a safety and as a corner,” noted the 6-foot-1 and 180-pound McCoy. “When I get up there we will see where I fit the best and find out. I really like both positions and I play both of them at Tupelo.”
Obviously, Monday’s announcement with his teammate didn’t just come about in thin air. Once they both received their State offers, they decided they wanted to commit on the same day.
“We talked about that,” McCoy mentioned. “It’s real cool to do it the same day. Ever since we got the State offers, we have talked about it. He got his State offer before me so we planned it then to announce our commitment on the same day.”
Mississippi State has landed all three 2026 commitments this month, including McCoy and Bell. Earlier this month, Airline (La.) High School receiver Kenny Darby became State’s first 2026 commitment.
