One of the hottest teams in recruiting over the last two weeks has been Mississippi State. Head coach Dan Mullen and his Bulldogs continue on their hot pace with the additions of Nick James (Long Beach, Miss./Long Beach) and Will Redmond (Memphis/East). James, a massive four-star defensive tackle, committed to the Bulldogs on Tuesday. Redmond, a three-star athlete, made his pledge to Mississippi State on Sunday night."[Nick] kind of surprised me," said Tommy Browder, Long Beach's head coach. "We went to Jackson last week and talked a lot about it [recruiting]. In the end, Nick loves the Mississippi State staff and where the program is headed. I know he felt like they wanted him more than anyone else. He just decided that he wanted to do it."James, now 6-4 and 328 pounds, is a unique recruit because he's so powerful, moves well and has great size."Nick sure is a big and athletic guy," Browder said. "There is no one I know who can move like he does and have that kind of speed and athleticism for that size. Nick sure has so much potential."Redmond, 5-11 and 175 pounds, is a two-way star mwho committed to the Bulldogs over Tennessee."They are exactly the type of school I was looking for," Redmond said. "They are trying to build up that program so I know I will have a great opportunity to play early. Plus, it's a smaller school and everything is built around the school. I just know that Mississippi State is a perfect fit for me."It also helped that Redmond had built a great relationship with Mullen and his coaching staff."I got real close with those coaches," Redmond said. "It wasn't just the coach that recruited me. It was the staff, including Coach Mullen. I bet we spoke at least once a week."In the end Redmond elected to leave the Volunteer State."I really thought about Tennessee as a school and program but not as the home school. I did what I had to do and don't mind getting away."Redmond could play on either side of the ball in Starkville but probably will end up at safety.Mississippi State now has 16 commitments.GT lands their future B-back
Georgia Tech landed perhaps its running back of the future in Marcus Allen (Hilliard, Fla./Hilliard). Allen, 6-2 and 210 pounds, committed to the Yellow Jackets on Monday."He called the Georgia Tech coaches in the afternoon and told us around four o'clock," Hilliard assistant Zack Whitenburg said. "Georgia Tech likes him as a B-back. I always thought he would play linebacker but for their system he will be their fullback. He's a tough runner and a one-cut guy. He's not a dancer. Marcus hits that hole hard and fast. He's a good kid and a hard worker."According to Whitenburg, Allen has 25-26 scholarship offers from teams such as Tennessee, Nebraska, TCU, Kentucky, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Duke, FSU, USF and others. Most of the bigger-name programs liked him on defense.This past season was his first playing football. He ended up playing running back, fullback, receiver and quarterback for his high school team."Georgia Tech came by here this spring and really liked him," Whitenburg said. "They said then they preferred him on offense and I think they are getting a guy that's a good fit for them."Allen is a three-star athlete. He's Georgia Tech's 10th commitment for the 2012 class.Tulane keeps OT home