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Mississippi State

2026 offensive lineman Jayden Ross breaks down Mississippi State decision

Paul Jones Mississippi State Bulldogsby: Paul Jones06/16/25PaulJonesOn3
Jayden Ross
Jayden Ross

Ocean Springs High School’s Jayden Ross has let his feelings about Mississippi State be known for the past few months. This weekend on his official visit, the 2026 offensive lineman followed those feelings and committed to the Bulldogs. Ross announced his decision publicly on Monday morning via his Twitter page.

Ross has taken several trips to Starkville already this year and with each visit, he felt closer to the coaching staff. Ross holds nearly 20 offers and that includes Power 4 offers from Texas Tech and Baylor, as well.

“It is close to home and I wanted to play in the SEC,” noted Ross. “Coach Jeff Lebby is a great coach and I believe he is going to turn the program around. So I wanted to be a part of that.”

With the impact of his college decision this weekend, that obviously made for a “special” weekend for Ross and his family in Starkville.

“It was something special, actually,” Ross recalled. “It was a great experience being around the coaching staff. I wanted to go somewhere to develop and go to the next level. I feel like I can develop well at Mississippi State. I love the city of Starkville and their campus is real nice. I just felt at home there.”

While on campus, Ross was able to gain more insight into State’s program due to his player hosts. That included a pair of Mississippi State offensive linemen who showed Ross around town and campus.

“I was with Jimothy Lewis, one of their offensive lineman,” remarked the 6-foot-6 and 315-pound Ross. “He is a great guy and they have a great offensive line room. It is a good scheme and I was also with Blake Steen, who just transferred in from Virginia. Both of those guys were great to me.”

Of course, Ross was also able to talk football with his future position coach in Phil Loadholt. And that learning process has already begun between the teacher and the pupil, shared Ross.

“It is always good to be around Coach Loadholt,” explained Ross. “He is a great guy and he has already taught me a lot. He lets me know what I am good at and where I can improve on the offensive line. He’s just an awesome guy and I can’t wait to be coached by him.”

As noted, Ross has been considered a heavy Mississippi State lean for several months now. During his previous times on campus, he got to see how Loadholt and Lebby coach via spring practices. So it made sense for Ross to join that Bulldog future this weekend.

“I’ve gotten really comfortable there this year,” Ross added. “I’ve been up there several times now and got to see how they practice in the spring. I got to see how they coach and how their players are in the program. So all of that made me feel like I wanted to join them.”

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