2024 signee Mario Craver set to begin Mississippi State career

2024 Mississippi State signee and On3 three-star receiver Mario Craver capped off his prep career in fine fashion. The 5-foot-9 and 160-pound Craver totaled 1,097 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in his senior season and helped Clay-Chalkville (Ala.) High School to a Class 6A state championship.

This past weekend, however, Craver turned the page to his gridiron career and moved to Starkville to begin hs tenure at Mississippi State as an early enrollee. Craver is rated as the nation’s No. 73 receiver and the state’s No. 27 prospect by On3 composite rankings.

“It is very exciting and I am ready to get started,” Craver said. “I want to see the new competition I will be going against and it is kind of a surreal feeling. I want to build a bond with the guys and get locked in as much as possible as quick as I can. I want to make sure I am a good teammate, too.”

Craver officially signed with Mississippi State in December to conclude an interesting recruiting process. Late in the fall, Craver came close to committing to the Bulldogs but held off on that decision when the Bulldogs underwent a coaching change. But once head coach Jeff Lebby arrived in Starkville, Craver went with his original plans and committed to the Bulldogs in December.

“There were some changes but it all worked out,” recalled Craver. “I just asked God to pave my way to help me with my decision and it worked out. It is exciting to be part of Coach Lebby’s offense, too. I know he throws the ball a lot with big plays all over the place. That is exciting to me and a real big opportunity for me.”

Earlier this month, Craver was able to get one final taste of high school football before moving on to the SEC. He was one of three Bulldog signees in the Under Armour All-American game in Orlando, Fla., and joined his now-teammates Braylon Burnside and Michael Van Buren at that event.

And Craver did not disappoint at the Under Armour outing, totaling two catches for 66 yards and one touchdown.

“It was very nice and I love competing with guys at that level,” Craver explained. “It was cool to talk to other guys going to other college and other guys going to State. I always wanted to do big things on a big stage like that and I let everyone see it. People are starting to see what I can do and what I can get done on the field.”

And with an impressive receivers’ group headed to Starkville, Craver is eager to see what the future holds.

“Me and Stonka bonded really well,” added Craver. “We already knew each other before the Under Armour game and we visited State together. We are in a group chat together and we are close. I know we are going to bring something to Starkville that the fans will love.”

That also includes the guy who will be throwing Craver and company passes in the future. Van Buren, an On3 composite four-star quarterback, was the MVP of the Under Armour All-American game and Craver was impressed with Van Buren’s showing.

“It’s been good with Michael and like Stonka, we were around each other a lot on our State visit,” Craver mentioned. “It was good to play together in that game. Once I saw his talent in person, it boosted my confidence in him a lot more. He puts the ball where he gives you a chance to make a play. He has a lot of talent and he has really good ball placement.”