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2026 safety Tomareo Johnson decommits from Mississippi State

hunterby: Hunter Shelton10/06/25HunterShelton_
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Tomareo Johnson

Pascagoula (Miss.) three-star safety Tomareo Johnson has decommitted from Mississippi State, he announced on Monday.

He was pledged to the in-state Bulldogs since July 4. Mississippi State was the second to offer the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder.

Johnson is the No. 101 safety and No. 32 player in Mississippi in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He checks in as the No. 1,094 prospect overall.

The Magnolia State defensive back announced his decision via X:

“First, I want to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to play the game I love. I also want to thank the Mississippi State coaching staff for believing in me and giving me a chance to be a part of their program. To the fans and Bulldog community — thank you for all the love and support you’ve shown me throughout my recruitment. After talking with my family and praying about it, I’ve decided to decommit from Mississippi State University and reopen my recruitment,” Johnson wrote.

“This was not an easy decision, and I have nothing but spect for the coaches, players, and program at Mississippi State. I’m excited to see what the future holds and will continue to look for the best fit for me – both on and off the field.”

Johnson also holds offers from Arkansas State, UNLV, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Charlotte, South Alabama and others. He brings Mississippi State’s 2026 class down to 26 total commits to date.

State loses member of 2026 class

The departure of Johnson also leaves Mississippi State with eight in-state commits this cycle. Head coach Jeff Lebby and his staff have done well on the local trail, as evidenced by the top of the pledge list.

Five of the top six commits in the class hail from Mississippi. That includes Grenada four-star tight end Zayion Cotton, the lone blue-chipper in the mix. At the end of September, State also lost a commitment from Magnolia (Miss.) South Pike Rivals300 EDGE Micah Nickerson, who flipped to Missouri.

Cotton checks in as the No. 382 recruit and No. 21 tight end in the cycle. Vancleave three-star offensive tackle Dalton Toothman, Macon Noxubee County three-star athlete Jaiden Taylor, Canton three-star wide receiver Jayden Cration and Tupelo three-star running back Jaeden Hill are all committed and are all top-25 players in Mississippi this cycle.

The class now ranks No. 55 in the nation, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. That ranks next-to-last in the SEC, ahead of just Arkansas, which has seen mass exodus following the firing of head coach Sam Pittman.