Top 40 guard Jaylah Lampley commits to Mississippi State

Things are trending way up for Sam Purcell and Mississippi State women’s basketball as the coach picked up another big commitment on Tuesday night.

Purcell earned his second top 100 commitment in the last week as four-star Indiana SG Jaylah Lampley committed to State. Lampley followed up a commitment last week from Texas forward Nataliyah Gray.

“What made me choose Mississippi State was how amazing the coaching staff was, especially on my visit,” Lampley told Maroon and White Daily. “Ever since I spoke to coach Sam, he’s been very consistent about his vision for myself and the program. I would want to come in my freshman year and be an important part of a championship team.

“They went to the Final Four and advanced to the Finals in back-to-back seasons a few years ago and I want to be an important piece of taking them back. The SEC brought home three-straight National Championships and added Texas and Oklahoma and I want to be a part of that conference as well. I feel like that’s going to push me.”

Visit helps seal the deal for Lampley to Starkville

As reported on MWD back in August, Lampley officially visited the Bulldogs. Her trip on August 30 would be an eye-opener.

Lampley and Purcell have a relationship in recruiting that dates back to his time as an assistant at Louisville and it put the Bulldogs in the conversation with the talented guard. When she actually got a chance to see what State had to offer, the Bulldogs shot to the top.

“It’s a beautiful campus. It’s very clean and I love the environment,” Lampley said. “The fans were amazing and it’s the people that make Starkvegas. My first day on campus made me excited and enthused about coming there eventually.

“Coach Sam is a very successful man that cares about his players and he’s very consistent with his attitude. I also noticed that they don’t just care about football, they care about all of the other sports.

“It was very easy to adapt to the coaching staff as well. Coach (Fred) Castro, coach (Samantha) Williams and coach (Anita) Howard, it was very easy building those bonds and they welcomed me with open arms. This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for coach Sam, but the staff brings the same energy. They now have coach (Victoria) Vivians on staff and it’s home away from home all over again. I’m just very grateful they thought about recruiting me.”

Lampley brings versatile skill set to MSU in 2025

The Lawrence Central standout moved up nine spots over the summer in the ESPNW rankings as she now sits 38^th nationally. She is considered the No. 2 player in the state of Indiana in the rankings, but won the Gatorade Player of the Year honor in the state as a junior.

While helping Lawrence Central to the Class 4A state championship, Lampley averaged 18.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game and is over 1,000 career points. Her play helped her bring in offers from around to country from schools like North Carolina, Louisville and Rutgers and she had a final six of State, Georgia, Rutgers, Louisville, Ole Miss and Cal.

In the end, that list was narrowed down to three as she considered State, Louisville and Rutgers. She made phone calls to the three schools over the last week and it was a tough conversation to tell the other two no.

“I’m very grateful of every school that offered me over the years,” Lampley said. “It was heartbreaking telling the other teams that recruited me that I wasn’t coming to their school, but I just felt like starting my freshman year and competing for championships was too tough to turn down.”

Lampley now has a weight lifted off of her shoulders and has a chance to get back to work with her Lawrence Central team as they look to repeat. Among her teammates in that group will be top 25 2026 recruit and younger sister Lola.

Jaylah, Lola and the Lawrence Central team have big goals ahead and Lampley is excited to represent the Bulldogs on that stage.

“I’m very excited. This year I’m just trying to get to that next step and being available in college,” Lampley said. “I want to get faster mentally and physically. I’m just thankful that coach Sam spoke to me and gave me this offer. I’m going to take this senior year very serious. We won the state championship and now I want us to stay hungry and winning again.”