Chris Jans landed the first piece of his 2024 recruiting class last night as The Skill Factory (Ga.) point guard Jeremiah Wilkinson announced his pledge to Mississippi State.

For Wilkinson, the culture of the school was what really sold him on Mississippi State.

"Pretty much the culture of the school coming in with a new coach. I took a visit there, and it really felt like a place I could spend four years at," Wilkinson said. "Coach Jans coming in as a new coach. He's really turning the program up. He's about hard work, and I can just see him taking this program to really good places."

The 6'1" point guard was born in Philadelphia but moved to Georgia when he was five years old. He spent his sophomore year at Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, GA, and came to The Skill Factory this season to help him prepare for the next level, and he's off to a good start to the season averaging 14 points per game.

"They've produced a lot of college talent, but really one of the main reasons I came to the school was to get me on a national prep schedule," Wilkinson said. "From the way we structure our classes, to the way we do our practices and lifts, to the competition we play, it's all more geared to get you ready for college."

Playing against the high-end competition is something that was really important to Wilkinson, and he feels that it can prepare him to make an impact during his freshman year at Mississippi State.

"I feel like if I'm trying to come in my freshman year and be as good as I can be, then I need to be playing against the best competition possible," Wilkinson said. "Every day in practice, every day in games, I'm always being guarded by high-major guards. There's never an off night, and once you get to college, there's never a night you can take off because everybody's good, so I'm just making sure I have that in me before I get there."

When Wilkinson made his official visit to Mississippi State in October, he had the chance to attend a football game, and the fanbase's love for their sports teams was his biggest takeaway from the experience.

"Everybody was super nice. You could just tell that the school really loves sports and the town as a whole really loves sports," Wilkinson said. People come in from all over to watch the games and really come together to rally around their sports teams. I feel like if I come in and work, and we do what we're supposed to do, we could have the whole city behind us."

Wilkinson has also built a strong relationship with the coaching staff at Mississippi State, and he feels they can help him get to a high level.

"I have a good relationship with all of them. Coach (James) Miller is the main coach that I communicate with, but coach (David) Anwar has come down to see me play, and Coach Jans has come down," Wilkinson said. "When I was up there, I had a really good feel when I was talking with the coaches. All of them are cool and all of them are ready to help me work and help me get to a high level."