MOBILE, Ala. — Aliceville High School defensive end Anfernee Mullins withdrew his commitment to Mississippi State and gave a verbal commitment to South Alabama over the weekend.
Mullins is 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds. He said the chance to play early was the deciding factor.
Playing Time Drove the Decision
“The way I was looking at it was how many players they were recruiting at my position,” Mullins told 247Sports. “It was going to be a lot for me to get on the field (at Mississippi State). South Alabama said I’m No. 1 on its recruiting board. I believe I have a chance of getting playing time if I go to South Alabama.”
“They are in a conference that sometimes gets overlooked, but they are still playing good football, and I like that,” he said. “It’s a small conference, but I believe they’ll give me a chance. It’d be harder for me to get a chance at Mississippi State than at South Alabama.”
Earlier Pledge to Bulldogs
Mullins said he committed to Mississippi State in early June after a strong performance at a camp in Starkville, though recruiting services never publicly listed him as a Bulldogs commitment. This week he informed Mississippi State defensive coordinator Geoff Collins and defensive line coach David Turner that he planned to commit elsewhere.
He attended camps at Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn before his commitment to the Bulldogs. He is unranked by the major recruiting services.
Projected at Outside Linebacker
Other programs recruited Mullins as a defensive end, but South Alabama projects him as an outside linebacker. Jaguars defensive ends and linebackers coach Freddie Roach recruited Mullins and pitched him on the program and the position through frequent conversations.
Mullins has not yet visited Mobile or the South Alabama campus but said he likes what he has seen of the school online.
South Alabama, coached by Joey Jones, competes in the Sun Belt Conference and plays home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. A verbal commitment is nonbinding; prospects may sign national letters of intent beginning on National Signing Day in February.
