STARKVILLE — Not even modern technology could’ve found Jonathan Banks before he signed with the Mississippi State University football team nearly four years ago.
Near Christmas 2009, MSU’s new football coach Dan Mullen looked over the verbal commitments and worried other programs would use the chaos of a coaching transition at the school to steal some of the Bulldogs’ recruits by Signing Day in February.
After watching a tape of Johnthan Banks at East Webster High School, Mullen wondered why MSU was the only school interested in the athlete from Maben. It was a matter of if you can’t find the school, it’s hard to see the prospect in person.
“We got to John Banks and they said he’s at East Webster High School, there’s not like a lot of traffic going through East Webster High School to recruit him, he’s pretty solidly committed,” Mullen said.
At 11:21 a.m. Saturday (WCBI), Mullen will honor Banks and some of the members of his first recruiting class when MSU plays host to the University of Arkansas at Davis Wade Stadium. When Mullen shakes Banks’ hand before the game, he might reflect on how fortunate the Bulldogs were to land a mystery prospect in an age when recruiting websites make it nearly impossible for a player to go undetected.
“We drive out there to East Webster High School. I’ve seen us with some GPSs with some of my new coaches and we end up in the middle of the field when you type in an address for a school like that,” Mullen said. “GPS doesn’t always hold true in Mississippi. With John, it was one of those they said nobody’s really ever even been through to come look at him once he committed to Mississippi State. I think we were his only scholarship offer. I think he had junior colleges looking at him, but we were his only scholarship offer, and it held true.”
MSU cornerbacks coach Melvin Smith was the first to tell Mullen he had to go see Banks play to see what no other coaches in the country were picking up on. Smith made sure to gave Mullen accurate directions to the school.
“You say, ‘OK, what is he?'” Mullen said Monday. “We know he is a really good athlete who played every position out there on the field.”
Mullen also had to see Banks to make sure he was more than just another athlete putting up big numbers against small-school competition. East Webster was a Class 1A school in the Mississippi High School Activities Association in Banks’ senior season. The state of Mississippi now has six classifications, with Class 1A being the smallest.
“One of the hardest things is when you’re looking at small-school guys is you’re evaluating that player’s talent,” Mullen said. “A lot of players you can look at the talent around him and say, ‘OK, well look, he’s running away from all these guys, and he’s running away from a guy that’s committed to Auburn, so OK, he’s pretty fast.’ ”
Banks is tied for third in the nation with 16 interceptions. This season, he has four interceptions, including two against Auburn University in a 28-10 victory Sept. 8.
“Jonathan Banks is the best defender in pass coverage in the SEC,” Auburn wide receiver Emory Blake said. “He’s just so long and fast. That’s not what you want to go up against.”
Banks was ranked as the No. 23 prospect in the state of Mississippi after he had 1,740 yards of offense and 17 touchdowns as quarterback for coach Jimmy Carden at East Webster High.
“I didn’t know what it would be like,” Banks said when asked about the jump from high school to college. “I’d never played against great players all the time like Chad Bumphis from Tupelo High School and didn’t know if I could match them.”
This season, Banks has been one of MSU’s featured athletes. His likeness is on a promotional billboard near his hometown of Maben. He also is a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award for the second straight year. The annual award recognizes the nation’s top defensive back.
“No matter what coach wants me to do, I’m willing to do it,” Banks said. “Whether it’s playing linebacker, nickel, corner, or whatever. I just want to be involved.”
Loyalty to MSU, among other things, played a role in Banks’ decision to return for his senior season and pass up the NFL draft.
“These are the guys that decided on day one they believe in what you’re doing,” Mullen said. “These are the first guys that believed in what we were trying to do here. They’ll leave as one of the most successful classes in school history. Not only did they believe, but (they) followed through on it as well.”
According to most projections, Banks is considered a mid-to-late first round draft pick in the 2013 NFL draft. But Banks is focused on MSU’s final two regular-season games and a bowl game he hopes will follow.
“It’s kind of sad, and I don’t like to think about it,” Banks said. “I would love to have one more season, but we’ve got to win these final two games and make a name for ourselves in this class.”
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