Mississippi State 2004 — Recruiting Outcomes

Hits & Misses

Hit: Michael Henig (QB) — Originally ranked 1115. Outcome: College Starter. Despite a lower original ranking, Henig earned a spot as a College Starter, signifying a successful development at Mississippi State. Hit: Mario Bobo (CB) — Originally ranked 906. Outcome: College Starter. Bobo, another lower-ranked recruit, also exceeded expectations by becoming a College Starter. Miss: Rory Johnson (LB) — Originally ranked 139. Outcome: Bust. As the highest-ranked recruit for Mississippi State in 2004, Johnson did not live up to his potential, ending as a Bust. Miss: Corey Spells (CB) — Originally ranked 501. Outcome: Bust. Spells, another relatively high-ranked recruit, also underperformed, resulting in a Bust label.

Development Story

Mississippi State's 2004 recruiting class shows a pattern of underperformance against original rankings, which is reflected in the drop from an original class rank of 90 to an S2S rerank of 105. Lower-ranked recruits like Henig and Bobo were the highlights of the class, stepping up to become College Starters. However, the high-ranking recruits like Johnson and Spells failed to meet their expectations, being labeled as Busts. The blue chip percentage of this class was 10%, indicating that the program had a small number of highly-ranked recruits, but even these high-ranking recruits couldn't make a significant impact.

Outcome Summary

Overall, the 2004 Mississippi State recruiting class underperformed expectations. The S2S rerank of this class dropped from its original rank, a clear indication of the overall underperformance. While there were a few bright spots in the form of lower-ranked recruits who became College Starters, the lack of significant contribution from the higher-ranked recruits led to the downgrade. The takeaway from this is that recruiting rank does not always translate to on-field success, as seen from the performance of the 2004 Mississippi State recruiting class.