Skip to main content
Mississippi State

2026 safety Jax Pope breaks down Mississippi State decision

Paul Jones Mississippi State Bulldogsby:Paul Jones•06/21/25•

PaulJonesOn3

Jax Pope
2026 DB Jax Pope

After collecting a Mississippi State offer several months ago, it didn’t take Jax Pope long to see how interested the Bulldogs were in his talents.

That constant recruiting and interest eventually led to the Buford (Ga.) High School standout committing to Mississippi State’s Class of 2026 on Saturday. The On3 three-star safety prospect announced his decision at a school ceremony and made his decision one week after officially visiting the Bulldogs.

Pope is rated as the nation’s No 143 safety and the state’s No. 157 prospect by On3 rankings. He also becomes the third safety commitment in the class, joining Kolby Barrett and Antavius Watts.

“I would say it was around the time they offered me,” Pope recalled. “Coach (Matt) Barnes came to the school and talked to me. My dad came up to school that day, too, and we talked for like two hours during school. I liked everything he had to say that day and I couldn’t wait to visit them.”

And with each passing month, those communications and Bulldog interest only increased.

“It really showed the interest he had for me and how much love the staff had for me,” added Pope. “That was something I saw when Coach Barnes would come to my practice. We have a lot of great players on our team and he filmed the whole practice. Then afterwards he would just sit with my dad in the stands and just talk football.”

Last month Pope dwindled his long list of offers to a Top 5, which included State, Arkansas, Duke, Stanford and Boston College. He reflected on the start of his recruiting process and was pleased to shut down his recruitment on Saturday.

“It has definitely been crazy,” Pope remarked. “Going into my junior year I started off with two offers. I had a great junior year and got about six more offers. After that teams like Mississippi State and Arkansas rolled in and then a lot more teams rolled in, which was pretty cool. That was kind of the journey and everything started right before my junior year.”

However, Pope did have some knowledge of the recruiting process before it got started, thanks to his older brother Jace Pope. His brother previously played at Alabama and Georgia before recently transferring to UNLV for his senior season.

“It definitely helped a lot and he helped with a lot of things,” added Pope. “He gave me great advice on where I should go or not go and what would be best for me. He gave me a lot of tips on what to look for in a school. he has been through a lot and I looked up to him when he went through that process. Now I am following his footsteps and making sure I don’t make any mistakes.”

At his next stop, Pope has discussed his possible role with the Bulldogs. Those conversations continued last weekend during his official visit, as well.

“I think it is the strong safety or middle safety,” mentioned Pope. “They like my coverage a lot and I am good in coverage. They like how I come downhill and get off blocks. So that will be beneficial at my position.”

Now that his decision is made, Pope can turn his focus to his senior season at Buford High School. And he is on track to just spend one more semester at Buford High School.

“It is definitely going to be huge,” Pope noted. “It helps with a lot of things. It helps to get a head start on the playbook. You get a feel for practice and what the daily work is like. Then you get used to the dorms and after you do that for six months, you can go to an apartment then.”

You may also like