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Mississippi State

2026 edge Maurice Jones breaks down Mississippi State decision

Paul Jones Mississippi State Bulldogsby: Paul Jones06/16/25PaulJonesOn3
maurice jones
Maurice Jones (Photo by Paul Jones, Maroon and White Daily)

This weekend 2026 edge prospect Maurice Jones took in his first and last official visit at Mississippi State. Before leaving campus, the Dr. Phillips (Fla.) High School standout told head coach Jeff Lebby he wanted to be a Bulldog.

Jones was one of several official visitors to commit to Mississippi State over the weekend. Holding 13 Division 1 offers, Jones collected his Bulldog offer several months ago and the way State pursued him left a lasting impression on Jones. He announced his decision publicly on Monday evening.

“I told Coach Lebby during the weekend that Mississippi State is where I want to be,” explained Jones, who totaled 64 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks last year and helped his team reach the 4th round of the Class 7A playoffs. “It was about how they stayed in contact with me from the beginning. It was the relationship and the family feeling I got from all of the coaching staff. They were on me harder than any other coaching staff and that meant a lot to me.”

With his visit, Jones enjoyed his time getting to known the lay of the land and his future coaches on a better level.

“It was great,” Jones recalled. “I loved the experience and getting to know the coaching staff better. I enjoyed walking around to see the school and build relationships with the players and the coaches.”

But the highlight for Jones came before he was about to exit his visit. That centered around his Mississippi State photo shoot with him and is family.

“My favorite part was definitely the photo shoot,” added the 6-foot-3 and 215-pound Jones. “It was just the energy and the vibe going around. Taking pics with my family, I loved that experience.”

Jones also picked up knowledge about his future position at Mississippi State thanks to his player host. He was with several defensive players over the weekend and that included Mississippi State edge Navaeh Sanders.

“The main player I was around was Nevaeh (Sanders),” noted Jones. “He plays the same position I do at edge. It was just good building a relationship with him and learning more about the position from his perspective.”

Those talks about his position continued with his time around Mississippi State defensive ends/edge coach Vincent Dancy. Through those talks, Dancy handed down good advice to Jones on his preparations for arriving on campus next year.

“I was mainly with Coach (Courtney) Williams and Coach (Vincent) Dancy,” remarked Jones. “Coach Dancy was giving me advance on coming in there as a freshman at the edge position I will be playing. He talked to me about being focused when I first come in and to be locked in. It was good to hear all of that and for me to know I have to be ready when I get there next year.”

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