There was obviously a lot of excitement in Nebraska when Scott Frost and his staff took over in Lincoln. There were plenty of reasons too, including the potential to recruit new areas across the country. What we have seen so far is that the Huskers are looking to compete hard for players throughout the southern part of the country and not just in Florida.
One of those areas that Nebraska is turning more attention to is the state of Mississippi. The Magnolia State isn’t necessarily the first state you might think of when running through the list of Power 5-producing states. However, in the 2019 class, there were 69 players from the state rated as 3-stars or higher and 16 rated as 4-stars or higher. For 2020, there are 39 players rated 3-star or higher. Mississippi State and Ole Miss primarily stock rosters with homegrown talent, so there is plenty of talent to go around.
Since Nebraska has offered a number of players from Mississippi for the 2020 and 2021 cycle, let’s take a look at a few prospects to keep an eye on.
2020 DT Montra Edwards
Edwards has quietly been a well-regarded target this cycle for the Huskers. The Holmes County Central star has the size (6-3, 280) and quickness to play anywhere along the defensive line in Nebraska’s scheme. He’s getting attention from schools outside of The Deep South too, like Nebraska, Missouri and West Virginia. He also holds an offer from LSU.
2020 CB Cameron Threatt
Threatt picked up his offer from the Huskers last Thursday. The corner now holds double-digit offers, mostly from southern schools. Threatt is a physical defensive back from Olive Branch that likely projects to safety at the college level. The state has a lot of good defensive back prospects in 2020 and Threatt might be the best.
2020 ATH Jimmy Holiday
When you run a 4.38 40-yard dash at Nike’s The Opening, you are going to gett the attention of college coaches around the country. Holiday is a quarterback in high school but ultimately could play a number of positions at the college level. If he is set on being a QB in college though, Nebraska won’t be for him.
2020 WR E Jai Mason
Mason committed to Mississippi State last November but backed off that pledge a few months later. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound wideout has seen his stock rise since then, picking up offers from Nebraska, Florida State, Florida and others. Spaces are getting tight already at wide receiver for Nebraska with a lot of targets interested but getting Mason to Lincoln for a visit would be huge.
2021 QB Ty Keyes
Keyes picked up an offer from Nebraska last week while quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco was swinging through schools in the state. He doesn’t know much about Nebraska’s history but was open to learning more when I spoke with him last week. Keyes has been prolific in his two seasons as a starter, racking up over 8,000 passing yards so far.
Nebraska has only landed one player from the state since 2015 when Antonio Reed joined the Huskers. Nebraska can change that, but only if the Huskers start putting an emphasis on offering players in Mississippi. Nebraska is certainly doing that.
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
