Bulldogs add more JUCO CB help

After losing two cornerback commitments over the weekend, Mississippi State acted quickly and has replaced both in the last several days. The latest to take the plunge is Northeast Mississippi C.C.'s Chris Nance. He was offered this morning by coach Reed Stringer and accepted on the spot.

"I committed to Mississippi State," he said. "Really schools overlooked me because of my size, but as far as Mississippi State-wise, it is somewhere I can go play ball at. They came at me hard and I was talking to them at the beginning of the season, but they had a guy that committed from Jones (Ellis Lankster). He uncommitted, and I think he is going to West Virginia.

"They offered me this morning. Coach Stinger came by the school Monday and we just talked and watched film, and he was telling me the coaching staff liked the way I played. I accepted when they called."

So who did he choose State over?

"Arkansas came in two weeks ago to watch film on me and they said they were going to get back in touch with me, but they never did," he said. "A lot of D-1AA and D-II schools were looking at me. I had an offer from Troy, but they locked onto another corner and they was trying to recruit me as a receiver. I really wanted to play defense and to return punts and a special teams player. I had another offer from UT-Martin."

Nance mentioned his size as a reason he was overlooked. That didn't stop him from helping out the Northeast defense this fall, however.

"I'm 5-10, 185 and I run a 4.5," he explained. "I had three picks and I'm not sure how many tackles I had, but I made the second team all-conference team."

What should Bulldog fans expect?

"Just another great player to come in and play ball," he said. "Trying to help Mississippi State win some ball games. That's what I am coming in to do. Turn the program around and win."

Originally from Deshler High in Tuscumbia, Ala., Nance played quarterback and led his team to two straight 2nd-place finishes in the 4A classification. He was a first team all-state selection as a senior. UAB and MTSU recruited him out of high school.

He will graduate in May and will visit State on Jan. 26.