Mississippi leads the way in which in preliminary 2024 JUCO rankings

Rivals.com launched the preliminary Rivals Junior College Top 40 rankings on Wednesday, setting the stage for one of the best JUCO prospects that the cycle has to supply.

To no shock, the state of Mississippi is well-represented within the rankings. From the No. 1 general recruit on down, expertise from the Magnolia State will be discovered throughout. Mississippi historically produces robust junior school expertise and that is once more the case this 12 months.

Rivals.com nationwide recruiting analyst Cole Patterson highlights a few of the notables to land contained in the preliminary rankings.

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Goodman (Miss.) Holmes CC vast receiver Deion Smith takes the highest spot within the rankings for Rivals. The one-time Mississippi State dedication and former LSU signee has put collectively a formidable fall, resulting in a number of packages providing the playmaking wideout.

Smith, who was in the identical Tigers class as Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas, has turned 40 receptions into 909 yards and 9 touchdowns this 12 months. He’s averaging over 20 yards per catch and almost 130 yards receiving every time that he fits up.

Ole Miss is this system to observe for Smith, because the Rebels have been a severe issue for him in highschool and proceed to recruit him aggressively. Auburn is one other to regulate with Hugh Freeze trying to improve the offensive firepower.

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An Ole Miss commit for the reason that early spring, Collins is a formidable participant on the second degree of the protection. He has put collectively consecutive seasons of greater than 40 tackles, together with main the group in that class this season. He is added a half-dozen sacks and figures to be a plug-and-play prospect at linebacker on the following degree.

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Beavers introduced his pledge to Lane Kiffin and the Rebels again in August, selecting Ole Miss over Louisville in his recruitment. The 5-foot-10 and 175-pound nook is a bit of on the smaller aspect within the secondary however he has showcased robust ball expertise. Beavers has three interceptions this fall.

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Mississippi has particularly been robust at producing defensive position expertise on the highschool and junior school ranges, and that’s the place Hamlin matches in. The large defender out of Southwest Mississippi has recorded almost 30 tackles and a sack. A number of SEC packages are in pursuit.

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One other defensive again prospect and a teammate of Smith, Robinson makes his debut contained in the top-15 of the preliminary rankings. The 6-foot-2 and 185-pound security options good measurement on the again finish of the protection. He is a hard-hitting security that appears like a heat-seeking missile. Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State and extra are within the combine.