Leach’s First Signing Class Complete At Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. (MSU Athletics) – New Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach and his staff put the finishing touches on the Bulldogs’ 2020 signing class Wednesday.

In addition to signing transfers Scott Lashley and K.J. Costello, MSU added to its 21 signees from last December’s early period with safety Kyle Cass (New Orleans, La./Mississippi Delta CC), wide receiver Rufus Harvey (Starkville, Miss./Starkville) and defensive end Jamari Stewart (Fort Pierce, Fla./Centennial). In total, the Bulldogs have signed, 26 players since last December.

Currently, State’s 2020 class ranks No. 25 nationally by ESPN.

Lashley, a former consensus four-star offensive lineman out of West Point High School, enrolled at MSU on Jan. 24 and will participate in spring practice. Lashley, who originally signed with Alabama in 2016, played the 2017-19 seasons with the Crimson Tide, is immediately eligible to compete and has one year of remaining eligibility. He earned his undergraduate degree in human environmental science from Alabama in December.

Costello was a two-time captain at Stanford who started 25 games over the course of three seasons and has one season of eligibility left. He went 495-of-791 passing for 6,151 yards and 49 touchdowns in three years at Stanford. The California native struggled with injuries in 2019 and appeared in only five games, passing for 1,038 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. The season prior, he earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors, when he started all 13 games and passed for 3,540 yards, the second-highest single-season total in Stanford history.

Cass is a versatile defensive back with great size and length, who spent his freshman and sophomore campaigns at Mississippi Delta CC. He totaled 42 tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss and six pass breakups in 2019. He was a four-year letterman in high school at Mattie T. Blount in Alabama.

Harvey was a standout wide receiver at Starkville High School. He was ranked the No. 3 wide receiver and No. 32 overall prospect in Mississippi by 247Sports. He caught 75 passes for 1,066 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior in 2019, becoming only the third 1,000-yard receiver in Starkville High School history.

Stewart, from Fort Pierce, Florida, is a long and athletic edge defender. He recorded 61 tackles, 24.0 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, scored one receiving touchdown and was a first-team All-Area selection in 2019 as a senior.