Jiles chooses MSU

Clinton (Miss.) rising senior Cedric Jiles woke up Thursday morning thinking of the Mississippi State football program. So later that day, the 6-foot and 180-pound cornerback decided to go ahead and end his college recruitment by committing to the Bulldogs.

Jiles becomes the third commitment for MSU's Class of 2012.

"It is close to home and I always liked the school and the program," said Jiles, who had 81 tackles, 10 PBUs and two picks last year. "I woke up Thursday morning and decided I wanted to be a Bulldog. The major thing is that it is close to home and I wanted to play for my state.

"It definitely relieves some pressure. I always knew in the back of my mind where I wanted to go, even when I was looking at other programs. So now I am just going to visit Mississippi State this summer and shut things down. Now I can hit the weight room even harder and get ready for college football."

Jiles also had an offer from Southern Miss and was also drawing interest from Tennessee, Memphis and Ole Miss. Next week, Jiles plans to talk to the Mississippi State coaches more about his decision.

"I called Coach Greg Knox and Coach Dan Mullen yesterday around 5 or 6 in the afternoon and told them I wanted to commit," said Jiles. "They said they were excited to get me down there and wanted me to talk to them in person to see face-to-face where I stand with MSU. So I am coming to camp sometime next week to talk to them more."

Jiles is MSU's third in-state commitment as well for the Class of 2012, joining Madison Central offensive lineman Devon Desper and McComb athlete Deonte Evans. With his college recruitment behind him, he said he welcomes the challenge of playing in the SEC at the next level.

"It's exciting to know I will play in the SEC," said Jiles. "I know I have to come with it and see what I can do. It will take a lot of hard work and I know I can do that and I am ready to take on that challenge."