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2026 receiver Kenny Darby breaks down Mississippi State decision

Paul Jones Mississippi State Bulldogsby:Paul Jones•06/07/24•

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Darby-crop
2026 receiver Kenny Darby (photo credit: Darby Twitter)

Last Saturday Airline (La.) High School receiver Kenny Darby put together an impressive camp showing at Mississippi State and earned his first SEC offer. Less than a week later, Darby took Mississippi State up on that offer and became the Bulldogs’ first commitment for the Class of 2026.

Not yet rated by On3, Darby announced his Bulldog commitment on Friday via social media. He also holds offers from South Florida, Tulsa and Louisiana Tech among others.

“I just felt like it was the right fit for me with their coaches,” Darby explained. “It’s the energy that their coaches bring to the table. The campus is great and I love it there. So it just felt right to go ahead and commit.”

Regarding his camp appearance, Darby’s time with Mississippi State receivers coach Chad Bumphis eventually played a role in Friday’s decision. He noted of that experience and his thoughts on State’s environment and staff.

“It was great at Mississippi State’s camp with Coach Bump,” remarked Darby. “Every time I caught a ball in drills, Coach Bump got hyped up and it felt like home to me there. I like the community there and all of their coaches are pumped up. It felt really good when he offered me and he jumped up on me and it was crazy.”

Of course, Darby entered State’s camp session to improve his game heading into his junior season at Airline High School. And he was able to pick up several things from his time under Bumphis.

“I learned a lot of things from him and that was a good experience,” Darby noted. “I learned how to be patient in my routes and how to make better cuts in my routes. He’s good at teaching those things to help me improve my game.”

This summer Darby has camped at a couple of SEC programs and also has other upcoming camp visits on his schedule. And his main goal this offseason revolves around improving his speed.

“So far I’ve been to camps at Mississippi State and Ole Miss,” recalled the 6-foot and 175-pound Darby. “I am working on my forty time at these camps, mainly. I didn’t run the forty at Mississippi State’s camp but I ran a 4.55 at Ole Miss. I also plan to be at camps at Oklahoma and Tulane later this month.”

Being in the early stages of his recruiting process, Darby will naturally add more offers in the future. But with Friday’s decision, it shows how he feels about his future at Mississippi State in Jeff Lebby’s offensive scheme.

“I really like their program,” mentioned Darby. “Coach Bump is great and Coach Lebby is a great offensive coach. Like I said, as soon as I walked on their campus I felt at home. Coach Lebby is a great guy, too, and he wants to throw the ball and air it out on offense.”

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