STARKVILLE — Starkville High School prospect Gabe Myles faced an interesting decision.
Would Myles follow in the footsteps of his father, Eddie, and attend Mississippi State University, or would he try to play quarterback at a lower-tier Division I school?
Eddie Myles, who played for MSU from 1987-90, wouldn’t have to be convinced Gabe would be happy at MSU. Staying in Starkville and playing for the hometown university in the Southeastern Conference always was going to be a fit.
Proximity and a chance to play in the SEC are two reasons Myles gave MSU a verbal commitment last month.
When asked if the result of the annual rivalry game against the University of Mississippi had anything to do with his decision, Myles took a long moment, tilted his head back, and was surprised by his answer.
“No,” said Myles, who paused to make sure he hadn’t forgotten a conversation with MSU coaches before he committed in June. “It just never came up. They have won it three straight years and it’s weird it never came up, huh?”
Myles, like numerous recruits and commits who attended MSU’s Big Dawg camp last week, is one of many recruits who aren’t allowing 60 minutes of football between MSU and Ole Miss determine their college future.
On Wednesday at the Southeastern Conference Media Days, MSU coach Dan Mullen returned to form when he referred to Ole Miss as “the school up north.” He also was asked about billboards that include one showcasing MSU’s three straight victories in the battle for the Golden Egg Trophy.
“That school to the north of us, being a conference game, becomes such a bigger game,” Mullen said. “Not to downplay the other games, but the overall impact, the conference one ends up being a little bit bigger.”
And while the Bulldogs’ fourth-year coach plays up the Egg Bowl game to the media and in the public, comments from the players in MSU’s Class of 2013 don’t reflect a similar level of importance.
“What they talked to me about more was about the family atmosphere at Mississippi State and how much they’d care about me and my family even after my time in Starkville,” West Bolivar High School rising senior Kailo Moore said.
Moore, a four-star running back, gave a verbal commitment to MSU but is still being recruited by other schools, including Ole Miss. Moore said the result of the rivalry game wasn’t a big factor in why he selected MSU.
“They really didn’t bring up other schools because of our conversations about what was important to them and to me,” Moore said. “I hear and see other schools being negative on other schools, but they didn’t do that with me.”
Ole Miss’ coaches aren’t emphasizing the regular-season finale against MSU in part because new coach Hugh Freeze is trying to rebuild the program. Part of that process involves a different strategy than the one used by Mullen.
“We say Mississippi State,” Ole Miss safety Charles Sawyer told ESPN.com at SEC Media Days. “You show a grown man respect.”
By opting to say “Mississippi State”, Ole Miss is trying to show future recruits the Rebels plan to run their program in a different manner.
“I give credit to coach Mullen’s staff and his kids for being able to capture the momentum,” Freeze said. “We accept that. We don’t run from it. Our kids will understand the importance of that game, I assure you.”
Paul Jones, who covers recruiting for 247Sports.com, told The Dispatch that while there’s a “potential” for a recruiting dynamic shift from Ole Miss to MSU, the Bulldogs’ advantage has more to do with their ability to win all games consistently, and not just the recent Egg Bowl matchups.
For MSU to build on the positive perception many have of its program, it will have to take the next step and win Western Division games against schools other than Ole Miss.
“They’re all big games,” Mullen said Monday in an ESPN.com chat. “That’s the thing about the SEC. You play your ‘A’ game because every week is a championship level game.”
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