Mississippi State official visit answers questions for Kolin Wilson as he flips commitment from Cincinnati
Ripple effects from Mississippi State’s official visit weekend continued this week in the form of three-star running back Kolin Wilson.
The Gulf Shores running back has been committed to Cincinnati but took a visit to Starkville this past weekend. The city and the potential inside Jeff Lebby’s offense made his decision to flip to the Bulldogs a no-brainer by the end of the trip.
“I really like the simplicity of the town. It’s a college town and I’m not big on going out and stuff. I like the calmness of it and I felt that over the weekend,” Wilson said of Starkville. “Along with the town I really enjoy this coaching staff and the offense that coach Lebby has. I think it’s a great fit for me.
“It was a really good trip and I really enjoyed myself. I felt like I had a lot of my questions answered. I really like (running backs coach Anthony Tucker) and he’s a down-to-earth guy. He really likes my ability to catch and the type of offense that coach Lebby runs, I’ll be a really big help. With them losing three guys, I can come in and see some playing time early in my career.”
It was a productive visit all the way around for Wilson. The talented runner doesn’t put much emphasis in the bright lights and big cities so the academic side of things and a closer look at Lebby’s offense was the biggest box to check off.
Getting a chance to go around campus and see where he will attend classes was one of the biggest standouts from the entire trip.
“One of the biggest things I enjoyed was going to the Computer Engineering building and I got to see all of the robotics and things,” Wilson said of his visit. “That’s what I want to do in college and that was a positive for me because it showed that they truly care about my future.”
Wilson plays his football for former Bulldog assistant Mark Hudspeth at Gulf Shores and he’s provided a dynamic piece for the Dolphins over the last two seasons. After rushing for 653 yards on just 76 carries with nine touchdowns as a sophomore, Wilson would explode in 2023.
The junior was explosive in Gulf Shores’ run to the Class 5A state championship as he had 212 carries, 2,010 yards and 31 touchdowns. He added another 21 catches for 231 yards and two scores through the air.
That kind of ability out of the backfield fits right into what the Bulldogs are searching for out of their runners.
“I like how he utilizes the running back,” Wilson said of Lebby’s offense. “I’ve seen plenty of clips with him putting the running back in the slot and throwing him the ball there. Since he’s able to spread the field, I’ll have lighter boxes to run in and I like that a lot.”
Wilson is the 12th commitment of the Class of 2025 for the Bulldogs. He is the ninth player to commit from the first official visit weekend of the summer. He’s State’s first running back on board for Lebby and Tucker.
