Sunday’s Dawg Biscuits: Updates on 2025 prospects Kyle Johnson, Cortez Thomas and Tyler Lockhart

Step inside for the latest on several 2025 and 2026 prospects on Mississippi State’s radar in football:

First Biscuit – Starting the day with football recruiting, over the weekend I did some checking with sources regarding Mississippi State’s offensive line board for the Class of 2025. As mentioned, the Bulldogs want to sign three high school offensive linemen and one transfer offensive linemen. So far, the Bulldogs are off to a good start on the high school front with commitments from On3 composite four-star prospect Mario Nash of Kemper County High School and On3 three-star prospect Josiah Clemons of Clinton Christian Academy. I noted earlier that Mississippi State is no longer in the mix with On3 four-star prospect Dramodd Odoms , who officially visited State last weekend, and it appears SMU is the favorite for Odoms. State did make up some ground last weekend with LSU commit and On3 four-star prospect Tyler Miller and State is also in the mix now with On3 four-star prospect Carde Smith , who decommitted from Auburn a few days ago.

Second Biscuit – Earlier this week I talked with 2025 cornerback prospect Kyle Johnson of Bunkie (La.) High School, who took official visits to Mississippi State and Houston in June. Johnson has set his decision date for July 4th and is down to Mississippi State and Houston (has not set exact time yet on July 4th). Johnson has built good bonds with State head coach Jeff Lebby and cornerbacks coach Corey Bell, and also said he felt at home during his official visit to State in June. He added that one thing about that visit was getting good feedback from Mississippi State players about the program, and he said the players give you the truth about the program. I still have my prediction on State with the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine and I would be surprised if he doesn’t choose State.

Third Biscuit – Moving back to football recruiting, earlier this week I talked with 2025 defensive lineman and On3 composite four-star prospect Kevin Oatis of Hattiesburg High School. Oatis took official visits to Mississippi State and Arkansas in June and has mentioned his plans to also officially visit LSU and Texas A&M during the season. Of course, Oatis has also talked of making his college decision in late July or early August so he can get his decision over with before his senior season begins. Oatis said head coach Jeff Lebby has connected with him since Lebby first arrived in Starkville and added that Lebby already treats him like he is on the team. Oatis is expected to be back in Starkville in late July for State’s annual summer cookout with recruits. So that could bear watching considering his decision timeframe. He also noted that his four finalists include Mississippi State, Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M.

Fourth Biscuit – Also over the weekend, I checked with a few sources regarding 2025 safety and On3 composite four-star prospect Jaylan Morgan of Rockvale (Tenn.) High School. Morgan took his final summer official visit last weekend at Georgia and he also officially visited Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Florida in June. Morgan told me recently that he will make his college decision on July 8th and that one of his main factors is making sure he likes the school and not just the football staff. As reported earlier this week, Georgia sources confirmed that Morgan is a take for Georgia and Morgan has told me previously that his decision is basically between State and Georgia. Obviously, that is a tough task to pull off for State but they do have a shot with Morgan. And even if he picks Georgia, I expect State to continue to recruit Morgan because being his second favorite right now doesn’t mean his recruiting process has concluded.

Fifth Biscuit – Over the weekend I also talked some with 2025 defensive back and On3 composite four-star prospect Cortez Thomas of Holmes County Central High School. Thomas said he plans to make his college decision at some point during the week coming up (as in the next few days) although he doesn’t have the exact day picked out just yet. Thomas said his finalists remain Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, and of that group, Mississippi State is the only school he has officially visited so far (has unofficially visited Ole Miss a couple of times this year). Thomas continues to talk well about State’s staff and how they are treating him as a priority. My prediction on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine is still on Mississippi State so we will see what Thomas does in the near future.

And for the gravy on top – And lastly over the weekend, I exchanged messages with 2025 linebacker and On3 four-star prospect Tyler Lockhart of Winona High School. In the least surprising news of the week, Lockhart decommitted from Auburn a couple of days ago and he initially committed to the Tigers in May. Lockhart has been on Mississippi State’s campus multiple times since he committed to Auburn, including last weekend’s official visit in Starkville. As most of y’all expect, State is considered the heavy favorite for Lockhart and now we wait and see how quickly he makes another decision. So far Lockhart has not given any hints about that process but knowing Lockhart, I don’t see him as a guy that will drag out his recruiting process.

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