Mississippi State has been hitting the junior college ranks hard for their 2024 recruiting class, and they made another addition on Thursday with the commitment of Hinds C.C. linebacker Branden Jennings.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Jennings earned an offer from Mississippi State last week and committed to the Bulldogs over offers from Southern Miss, UTSA and Marshall.
Jennings, a Division I bounce back, was a four-star recruit out of Jacksonville, Fla. in the 2021 recruiting class. He originally committed to Michigan before flipping to Maryland and also held offers from Penn State, Ohio State and Texas among many others.
Mississippi State will be the fifth college program Jennings will be a part of. He transferred from Maryland to Kansas State following his freshman season, but would then leave for UCF after spring practice. Jennings entered the transfer portal for a third time after his sophomore season and ended up at Hinds.
Jennings appeared in eight games with three starts for Maryland as a freshman, and was named a Midseason Freshman All-American by ESPN. He made 23 tackles with a tackle for loss and a forced fumbles for the Terrapins. At UCF, Jennings redshirted after appearing in the first four games of the 2022 season, registering one tackle.
This season Jennings had been a major contributor to Hinds C.C.'s defense. He leads the team with 31 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss through seven games while adding on a sack and a fumble recovery,
Mississippi State is set to lose numerous veteran linebackers next season including All-SEC performers Bookie Watson and Jett Johnson, so adding an older player at the position was important in the Bulldogs' recruiting efforts.
Jennings is the third junior college commitment in Mississippi State's 2024 class, joining defensive lineman Ashun Shepphard and safety Tyler Woodard from East Mississippi C.C. The Bulldogs also hold high school commitments from two linebackers in Winona (Miss.) three-star Fat Clark and Headland (Ala.) three-star Caleb Dozier.
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