The Mississippi State Bulldogs and first year head coach Jeff Lebby wrapped up the 2024 recruiting cycle this week by adding another player to the class on National Signing Day.
Edge rusher Josaiah Knight, a consensus prospect out of Tallahassee, Fla., was the latest to join the Bulldogs for 2024.
Knight is ranked as the 79th-overall player in the state of Florida and was recruited by other SEC programs, Arkansas and Vanderbilt. Prior to signing with State, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound defender has signed with and even enrolled at Illinois, but he was granted a release from his national letter of intent, and chose to make the move to Starkville.
Illini head coach Bret Bielema said of the situation, "He wanted to be [at Illinois], there is no doubt, but that wasn't going to be possible, so I told him the best option I thought he could do was sign with Mississippi State (...) I never thought I'd help an SEC team get a player, but I wanted to see what's best for him."
With the departure of players like Jaden Crumedy, Jordan Davis, Nathan Pickering and more from the Bulldogs' 2023 defense, Mississippi State will be looking to replace a lot of production from last year.
While he may lack the outright size of a typical SEC pass rusher, Knight certainly possesses elite raw traits and could prove to be a star in Starkville.
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