SOURCES: Stonka Burnside enrolls at Mississippi State
Some huge news has come Mississippi State’s way on Thursday afternoon as coveted four-star wide receiver Stonka Burnside has officially enrolled early.
Multiple sources confirmed to Maroon and White Daily that the Starkville pass catcher is good to go and is starting classes with the Bulldogs while also joining his teammates immediately in winter workouts. Burnside is expected to be one of nearly 30 players enrolled early from the signing class that includes the transfer portal and junior college athletes.
It’s big news for a Jeff Lebby-led football team trying to overhaul the culture as a whole, but especially on the offensive side of the ball. After housing one of the worst offenses in the SEC a season ago, Athletic Director Zac Selmon hired the Oklahoma offensive coordinator based on a resume of elite offenses at Central Florida, Ole Miss and Oklahoma.
One of the first things that Lebby did upon arrival is lock up four-star wide outs Burnside and Craver along with reeling in longtime commitment JJ Harrell. All three are enrolled and with the team along with UTEP’s 1,000-yard receiver Kelly Akharaiyi and Louisville’s Kevin Coleman who was once the SWAC Freshman of the Year at Jackson State two years ago before playing for the Cardinals.
Burnside is part of a major talent infusion of receivers and was one of the big recruiting battle wins of the cycle for the Bulldogs. After decommitting from State back during the season, Burnside picked up interest from around the league and State won out over Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Arkansas and others. The Rebels and Bulldogs were his final two.
In three years as a receiver for the Jackets, Burnside goes down as one of the great ones to wear the black and gold. He finished with nearly 3,000 yards receiving over the course of his career and had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with two-straight state championship appearances including a title in 2022.
The Jackets made it to the championship game and lost in a heartbreaker against the Oak Grove Warriors in 2023. Burnside finished the year with over 1,000 yards and a career-high 17 touchdowns. He was named the Starkville Daily News Co-Offensive Player of the Year, was a four-time All-Area performer, earned a spot in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game and was an Under Armour All-American.
The hometown product now joins recent SHS grads in maroon and white like Kobe Jones, Willie Gay Jr. Kameron Jones and Rufus Harvey.
