Recruiting Recap: February

Mississippi reaped the rewards of the offseason early, as a ton of high school prospects began to pick up offers, interest and virtual visits this past month. It is only the beginning though, and there is a lot of time until August when football picks back up! Let’s do a quick recap of some prospects who stood out this past month. <strong>FIRST OFFER STANDOUTS</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="114386" first="Deljay" last="Bailey"] | 2023 QB | 2023 is becoming a deep class at quarterback in the Magnolia State. With [player_tooltip player_id="108930" first="Vic" last="Sutton"] and [player_tooltip player_id="106161" first="Mack" last="Howard"] looking like the top two dogs, [player_tooltip player_id="114386" first="Deljay" last="Bailey"] is the newest name to know. The gunslinger out of Biloxi picked up Southern Miss after a big weekend of 7v7. Bailey has prototypical size and a huge arm to go along with it. He plays his best ball off of play action and in the RPO game while using his quick release to his advantage. With his arm strength, Bailey can thread the needle into some incredibly difficult windows. Look for more to come out on Bailey soon and for his offer count to continue to increase. [player_tooltip player_id="104400" first="Robert" last="Cook"] | 2022 OL | One of the best run blockers on tape last season, [player_tooltip player_id="104400" first="Robert" last="Cook"] was a dominant player on the D’Iberville offensive line. Cook is an absolute bully on the field. If you are a defender near him, you need to be scared. He plays with a tremendous chip on his shoulder and uses his raw brute strength to dominate his opponents. Cook is also explosive off the ball and has a great first step. With his athleticism, strength, and willingness to crush people, [player_tooltip player_id="104400" first="Robert" last="Cook"]’s tape last season is essentially teach tape for how to be a baller on the offensive line. Central Arkansas was the first to offer. [player_tooltip player_id="106310" first="Tabias" last="Hinton"] | 2023 DL | After checking in at No. 10 in the class of 2023 in our initial rankings, we were a bit surprised that [player_tooltip player_id="106310" first="Tabias" last="Hinton"] had yet to receive any college traction yet. That changed at the end of February when Southern Miss extended the pass rusher his first offer. Having an 18.5 sack season as a sophomore, Hinton is an absolute freak of a football player. While he may be skinny right now, his frame will allow him to continue developing and adding weight as the years go on. Hinton plays violent and fast. He runs well in space and even lines up at linebacker sometimes. His explosive first step and good hand placement will make Hinton one of the next elite defensive players in Mississippi. Sky is the limit with this one. [player_tooltip player_id="113272" first="Wesley" last="Miller"] | 2022 DB | A two sport standout in both football and baseball, [player_tooltip player_id="113272" first="Wesley" last="Miller"] earned his first two offers from in state SEC schools Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Miller is one of the twitchier DBs in MS, with his reaction time and ability to break on the ball being off the charts. He plays with swagger and dares opposing quarterbacks to throw his way. While most defensive backs get the knock for being "soft," [player_tooltip player_id="113272" first="Wesley" last="Miller"] plays hardcore aggressive football. He throws his body around and makes huge hits on opponents. Miller also plays the ball well in the air and uses his length to create pass break ups frequently. It is going to be a classic Egg Bowl rivalry to add [player_tooltip player_id="113272" first="Wesley" last="Miller"] to either team’s DB room. [player_tooltip player_id="113271" first="Jordan" last="Anthony"] | 2022 ATH | A high school track star, [player_tooltip player_id="113271" first="Jordan" last="Anthony"] was a bit of an unknown commodity until this past month. Anthony played his last season at Parklane Academy, but has since made the move over to Tylertown High. There is fast, and then there is FAST. Anthony is the latter. With documented track times of a 10.61 100m and 22.04 200m, anybody in the country will be lucky to find players that are as fast or faster than [player_tooltip player_id="113271" first="Jordan" last="Anthony"]. While he was small in stature last season, Anthony scored whenever he touched the ball. He had the speed that allowed him to be capable of taking a 3 yard hitch 60 yards to the house. South Alabama and Tulane were the first two offers for Anthony, but speed like his will make him a quick riser in the recruiting community. &nbsp; <strong>RICH GETTING RICHER</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="104422" first="Aaron" last="Bryant"] | 2022 DL | Already a known stud with offers from Ole Miss and Mississippi State, [player_tooltip player_id="104422" first="Aaron" last="Bryant"] picked up Alabama and Georgia this past month. Bryant is on pace to be another highly recruited DL from the state of Mississippi that has unlimited potential at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="106163" first="Malik" last="Ellis"] | 2023 OL | The current No. 1 player in the class of 2023 in MS added Oregon this past month. Similar to former Laurel standout Charles Cross, Ellis will have no shortage of options to attend school once he is a senior. [player_tooltip player_id="104151" first="Branson" last="Robinson"] | 2022 RB | The No. 5 player in the class of 2022 and elite powerlifter [player_tooltip player_id="104151" first="Branson" last="Robinson"] added offers from Tennessee and TCU. [player_tooltip player_id="104387" first="Carter" last="Edwards"] | 2022 OL | The second highest rated OL in MS added offers from Kansas State, Louisville, and Northwestern to name a few. [player_tooltip player_id="104365" first="Blake" last="Gunter"] | 2022 TE | One of the highest rising TE prospects in the southeast added Charlotte, Tennessee, and Tulane to name a few. The Madison Central standout will be able to play in almost any conference of his choosing. &nbsp;