Meet Mississippi's top high school football seniors for 2024 MHSAA, MAIS season

There are barely six weeks left before the start of the 2024 high school football season. MAIS games begin Aug. 16, and MHSAA games follow Aug. 23. Here are the top high school seniors returning for the fall season in Mississippi.

Players are listed in alphabetical order.

Cole Allen

Jackson Prep | 6-foot-4, 265 pounds | Offensive tackle

Allen, a Duke commit, is the No. 20 prospect in Mississippi and No. 88 offensive tackle overall, per the 247Sports Composite. Allen helped Jackson Prep reach the MAIS Class 6A state final game last season.

Jermarj Bell

Northside | 5-7, 150 pounds | Wide receiver

The three-star recruit had 1,775 all-purpose yards with 981 receiving yards on 56 receptions, 14 total touchdowns, and two punt returns for scores.

Josiah Clemons

Clinton Christian Academy | 6-7, 340 | Offensive line

Clemons, a Mississippi State commit, has one of the largest frames in Mississippi and utilizes his size and strength in the offensive tackle position.

Harrison Cluff

Columbia | 6-4, 295 | Offensive line

The Baylor commit had 85 pancake blocks last fall and helped Columbia to a 14-1 record and to reach the MHSAA Class 4A state final. Cluff held other offers from Arkansas, Purdue Memphis and Southern Miss.

Caleb Cunningham

Choctaw County | 6-2, 190 | Wide receiver

The five-star recruit, the No. 1 prospect in Mississippi and the No. 2 wide receiver in the country, is a hot target for many Division I programs. In 2023, he set Choctaw's season records for receptions (48) and yards receiving (1,138) and scored 14 touchdowns.

Akylin Dear

Quitman | 6-1, 200 | Running back

Dear, a four-star recruit, is the No. 2 prospect in the state and the No. 1 running back in the country. Dear recently decommitted from Ole Miss and holds other offers from Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Michigan and Ohio State.

Maison Dunn

Tupelo | 6-4, 180 | Defensive back

Dunn, an Ole Miss commit and three-star recruit, had 21 total tackles, including 15 solo tackles and two interceptions last season.

Xavier Hunt

Louisville | 5-11, 160 | Quarterback

Hunt produced 2,040 passing yards with 22 touchdowns and rushed for 234 yards after an undefeated MHSAA Class 4A title-winning season.

Jarcoby Hopson Jr.

Lake Cormorant | 6-1, 205 | Linebacker

Hopson, who rotates between linebacker and strong safety, is an Ole Miss commit and is the No. 6 prospect in the state. He is explosive, quick and can read offensive plays like second nature.

Micah Jones

Madison Central | 6-5, 245 | Tight end

Jones, a recent Florida commit, is the No. 15 prospect in Mississippi and the No. 28 tight end nationally for the Class of 2025. Last season, Jones recorded 168 receiving yards with a touchdown and helped Madison Central go 8-5.

Tray Kinkle

Holly Springs | 5-11, 185 | Running back

Kinkle, a three-star recruit, had 1,247 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns and 26 receptions for 452 yards with four touchdowns. Kinkle holds offers from Ole Miss, Florida State, Auburn and Florida.

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Deuce Knight

George County | 6-4, 206 | Quarterback

Knight, a Notre Dame commit, is the highest-rated quarterback in Mississippi's 2025 class. He passed for 1,420 yards with 15 touchdowns in seven games last season.

Anson Lewis

Oak Grove | 6-0, 195 | Wide receiver

Lewis is a four-star wideout and No. 12 recruit in the state. His offers include Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Missouri. Lewis has transferred to Oak Grove after spending the past two seasons at Columbia.

Tyler Lockhart

Winona | 6-3, 200 | Linebacker

Lockhart, a four-star linebacker and No. 5 recruit in the state, recently announced his decommitment from Auburn. Lockhart helped Winona to its first MHSAA 3A state title and produced 100 tackles with 11 sacks. He holds offers from Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Ohio State and Georgia.

Andrew Maddox

Oak Grove | 6-3, 265 | Defensive Line

Maddox, an Ole Miss commit and the No. 7 recruit in the state, helped lead Oak Grove to the MHSAA 7A state title with 99 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and two sacks. Maddox's older brother AJ has signed with Ole Miss.

Adarius McDougle

Sebastopol | 5-11, 175 | Quarterback

McDougle rushed for 1,868 yards and 33 touchdowns and completed 35 of 71 pass attempts for 464 yards and six more touchdowns last season. McDougle also won the 2023 MHSAA Class 2A Mr. Football, the only junior to do so.

Tyler Miller

Laurel | 6-5, 315 | Offensive tackle

The LSU commit is the state's No. 4 recruit. Miller helped Laurel to an MHSAA Class 5A state final appearance. His power and explosiveness have caught many recruiters' eyes.

Trevionn Morton

Wingfield | 6-1, 195 | Defensive back

Morton, a Southern Miss commit, had 89 total tackles, 54 solo and caused six turnovers in Wingfield's final football season.

Mario Nash Jr.

Kemper County | 6-4, 280 | Offensive tackle

Nash, a recent Mississippi State commit, is a four-star recruit and the No. 11 prospect in Mississippi. Nash helped Kemper County to a 9-3 record last season.

MORE HS FB: Four-star offensive lineman Mario Nash Jr. commits to Mississippi State football, Jeff Lebby

Evan Noel

St. Stanislaus | 6-2, 155 | Kicker

Noel, an Arkansas commit, went 8-of-12 on field goals with a long of 49 yards and was 42-of-43 on PATs. He averaged 38.5 yards per punt with a long of 65 last season.

Kevin Oatis

Hattiesburg | 6-2, 285 | Defensive line

Oats, a four-star recruit and No. 10 prospect in the state, has drawn interest from many Power 5 Division I programs, including Alabama, Texas, Michigan, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Malaki Page

Bay Springs | 6-0, 200 | Running back

A three-star recruit, Page rushed for 692 yards on 123 carries with12 touchdowns. He also had 168 receiving yards. Page has offers from Ole Miss and Southern Miss.

Matthew Parker

Jackson Prep | 6-7, 295 | Offensive tackle

The Vanderbilt commit is the No. 20 recruit in Mississippi and No. 87 nationally. With an 85-inch wingspan, Parker is agile and powerful for his size and helped Jackson Prep to the MAIS Class 6A title game.

Jaylon Parnell

Pascagoula | 6-1, 220 | Linebacker

A three-star recruit, Parnell had 99 tackles, four sacks, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions for 130 return yards last season. Parnell has offers from Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Missouri.

Quincy Phillips Jr.

Brandon | 5-10, 190 | Wide receiver

Phillips had 87 receptions for 1,027 yards with six touchdowns in 2023. His receptions broke the school's season record held by NFL player Jonathan Mingo.

Major Quin

Jackson Prep | 5-10, 180 | Athlete

An Air Force commit, Quin had 34 receptions for 604 yards, 328 total return yards and 34 tackles in helping lead the Patriots to the MAIS Class 6A title game.

Jack Richardson

Madison Central | 6-2, 210 | Punter

Richardson is ranked as the top punter in the state and recently decommitted from Mississippi State. He has offers from Air Force and Southern Miss.

London Simmons

Hartfield Academy | 6-3, 295 | Defensive lineman

The Alabama commit is the No. 16 recruit in Mississippi and helped Hartfield Academy to the MAIS Class 6A state championship.

KaMario Taylor

Noxubee County | 6-4, 205 | Quarterback

Taylor, a Mississippi State commit and the No. 11 recruit in the state, helped lead Noxubee County to the MHSAA 3A state title game. He threw for 3,282 yards with 45 touchdowns and rushed for 789 yards with 15 touchdowns.

Cortez Thomas

Holmes County Central | 6-1, 180 | Defensive back

Thomas, who is the No. 9 recruit in the state, committed recently to Ole Miss. Thomas helped Holmes County Central to a 12-1 record by producing 45 tackles and two interceptions.

Reginald Vaughn

Hartfield Academy | 6-2, 257 | Defensive lineman

Vaughn, the No. 14 recruit in Mississippi, helped Hartfield Academy to the MAIS Class 6A state championship. He has offers from Georgia, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee and Penn State.

Samuel Watkins

Madison-Ridgeland Academy | 6-2, 210 | Defensive back

The Arkansas State commit had 27 tackles and 22 solos in eight games last season at Jackson Academy. He has transferred to Madison-Ridgeland Academy for this season.

Kenzy West

Hartfield Academy | 6-1, 185 | Athlete

West, a three-star recruit, helped to lead Hartfield Academy to a MAIS Class 6A state championship while recording 915 receiving yards with 12 touchdowns and 1,368 return yards. West also had 22 tackles with four interceptions.

Tyshun Willis

Velma Jackson | 6-1, 230 | Defensive lineman

Willis, a Mississippi State commit, helped to lead Velma Jackson to the MHSAA Class 1A state final game. In 2023, had 15 quarterback hurries and 20.5 sacks, which was third in MHSAA.

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez .

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Meet Mississippi's top high school football seniors for 2024 MHSAA, MAIS season