Mississippi State trending for 2024 WR Mario Craver

Mississippi State took a big hit on the recruiting trail on Monday morning, as Starkville (Miss.) four-star wide receiver Braylon Burnside announced that he was decommitting from the hometown Bulldogs.

With Burnside’s pledge gone, Zach Arnett and Co. are down to just 16 commitments and a 2024 class that ranks No. 30 nationally and No. 14 in the SEC, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking.

That spot at wideout could be filled soon, however. Miss State is now trending for Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville three-star WR Mario Craver, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

The Bulldogs now have an 93.8% chance to land the 5-foot-9, 150-pounder’s commitment. On3’s Chad Simmons and Maroon and White’s Paul Jones each logged RPM picks in favor of Miss State on Monday night.

Craver is the No. 478 overall prospect and No. 80 WR in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 26 player in Alabama.

“I know that Mississippi State is gaining momentum with 2024 receiver and On3 three-star prospect Mario Craver, who unofficially visited the Bulldogs for the Western Michigan game earlier this month,” Jones wrote in October.

Craver was trending with the likes of Auburn, Florida and Georgia Tech earlier this year. He’s visited the Plains three times, but hasn’t been back since March.

“Really, it will be whenever God tells me that the time is right,” Craver said of making a decision to On3’s Sam Spiegelman back in June. “I just want to to wait until the time is right … until I get that feeling.”

Miss State’s class bolstered by in-state prospects

The Bulldogs class is built by in-state recruiting. Of the 16 commits, eight are Mississippians, including Sardis North Panola four-star WR JJ Harrell, the top-ranked pledge in the class. Other top in-state commits include Madison native and Bradenton (Fla.) interior offensive lineman Jimothy Lewis and Lexington (Miss.) Holmes County Central three-star defensive lineman Terrance Hibbler.

Craver would be the fourth Alabama native to join the fold in Starkville, alongside McCalla (Ala.) McAdory three-star tight end JaCorey Whitted, Mobile (Ala.) Baker three-star quarterback Josh Flowers and Headland three-star athlete Caleb Dozier.

Craver does not currently have an On3 NIL Valuation. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.